click on photos to enlarge
Bedford . Built 1838
What it looked like a very long time ago...
A little history:
"Union troops stopped here twice during Hunters Raid, and Confederate forces paused here as well as they pursued the enemy
out of the area.The Bedford County Militia Company, Old Dominion Rifles, drilled on the property in 1861; the company’s captain was Dr.Thomas M. Bowyer,the husband of Catherine Burwell, whose family owned the plantation. The unit became a
light artillery battery in action under Gen.Thomas J.“Stonewall” Jackson at Cedar Mountain and Antietam. Bowyer later treated and protected Union Col.William Powell after he was captured by Confederate troops; Powell, released in 1864 and
riding with Gen.David Hunter, returned the favor by protecting Avenel during Hunters Raid, leaving
the home untouched." Copied from News Advance
Now the home is owned and operated by the Avenel Foundation and can be rented for weddings and events...see their website
HERE
Avenel is rumored to be haunted by a lady in white (of course..aren't all ghost ladies wearing white?!)...she is thought to be Mary Francis "Fran" Burwell...legend has it that she stayed on the front porch waiting for her husband to return home from the Civil War but he never did...what a sad story :(
Linking up with Tom's
Tuesday's Treasures
Who's getting hit with this big snow storm? Yesterday our weather people had everyone worked up over the amounts of snow we would be getting...another one misses us...we got a dusting here and there and rain, blah...now it's just cold and rainy...schools were closed though so I've got happy kids!...until we have to make it up, boo!
Avenel Plantation
