Court Manor
Encyclopedia
Court Manor is an early Greek Revival manor house
and estate in Rockingham County
, Virginia
, located 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the town of New Market
. With its stately manor house and prime location in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley
, Court Manor has long been regarded as "one of the finest estates in the Valley of Virginia." The estate is situated on U.S. Route 11
, which follows the route of the historic Great Wagon Road
, a colonial thoroughfare connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
to Savannah, Georgia
. The estate's landholdings include some 2000 acres (809.4 ha) of land, extending from the base of the Massanutten Mountain Ridge
to about one-half mile (0.5 mile (0.80467 km)) west of U.S. Route 11
. The manor house (circa 1800), with its impressive Greek Revival portico
, can be easily seen from the tree-lined stretch of U.S. Route 11 that passes through the heart of the estate.
in 1746, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
, granted a tract of land on the Great Wagon Road
near Smith Creek
to a Samuel Newman, who in turn sold the land in 1754 to Thomas Moore, Sr., (1727-1797). The first permanent dwelling to be built on the estate was the house of Thomas Moore, Sr., which was located on a knoll overlooking Smith Creek
. Seeking to expand the size of his landholdings, Moore petitioned the Crown for a land grant
of some 7500 acres (3,035.1 ha), which was granted by King George III eleven years later in 1765. For the next century and a half, the estate was to remain in the hands of Moore family.
, Moore and his sons continued to expand and improve the estate. Moore's oldest son and future heir, Captain Reuben Moore, Sr., left the estate at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War to serve as an officer in the Rockingham militia
under Colonel Benjamin Harrison. By the war's end in 1784, some 17 members of the Moore family were residing on the estate, both in the original house built by Thomas Moore, Sr., and in a second house built by his third son, Thomas Moore, Jr.
After the war, Captain Moore returned to the plantation and was elected a Commissioner
of Rockingham County in 1789. It was Captain Moore who selected a wide, gently rolling tract of land near the Great Wagon Road
on which to build a small log house for his family. A quarter-century later, Captain Moore's son, Reuben Moore, Jr., would build Court Manor on the very spot where his father's log cabin
once stood.
and surmounted by a simple triangular pediment
decorated with a single semi-circular window, the scale of the portico dominates the main facade
of the house. The large, two-level structure was constructed using bricks fired on site by the plantation's
slaves. The house contained twelve spacious rooms, each with a fireplace and with large windows, affording panoramic views of the rolling countryside with the Massanutten Mountain Ridge rising in the distance.
The grandeur of the mansion and its handsomely landscaped grounds served to match the impressive scale of the estate, which at 1,700 acres was unusually large by Valley standards. The wide, spacious lawn, dotted with large tress, slopes gently towards a spring-fed brook that arises on the grounds of the estate less than a mile away and meanders gently towards Smith Creek, which also runs through the estate. Smith Creek was used to power the plantation's mill
, which produced flour and other products that were transported up and down the Great Wagon Road
. The estate remained in the Moore family until 1879, when Oscar Fitz Allen Moore, grandson of Reuben Moore, Jr., sold the estate to William C. & George H. Harrison.
In 1925, Court Manor was purchased by Willis Sharpe Kilmer
, a New York entrepreneur, newspaperman, and horse breeder best known for marketing his uncle's popular medicinal tonic "Dr. Kilmer's cure-all remedy Swamp Root". The period of Kilmer's ownership of the estate saw dramatic development of the property, establishing it as one of the country's most preeminent horse studs. Exterminator
, the winner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby
, resided on the estate after his racing career, and Reigh Count
, the winner of the 1928 Kentucky Derby, was bred and born on the estate. After Kilmer had acquired Court Manor in 1923, he had some 10,000 silver maple
trees planted along the roads of the estate in memory of those lost in World War I
. Today these trees are still extant and can be seen lining both sides of U.S. Route 11
as it passes through the estate.
Following Kilmer's death, Court Manor fell into a state of disrepair and slow deterioration. During the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the estate was home to a commune
, and by the early 1980s, the estate's landholdings had dwindled to some 1300 acres (5.3 km²), the manor house was virtually uninhabitable, and the entire estate was in a state of ruin.
In 1985, Court Manor was acquired by North Carolina textile magnate Nicholas Wehrmann, Sr., who initiated a wide-scale renovation of the manor house and estate grounds. The original section of the house and its Greek Revival portico were intact enough to be preserved in whole, but the later additions, which used inferior construction methods, had sustained far too much structural damage to be salvaged. The renovation restored the structure to its original condition and added two additional wings to the house. Also during this period the grounds of the estate were revitalized for agricultural purposes. Pastures underwent extensive renovation, historical barns were preserved, and new construction of barns, corrals, feeding systems, and miles of high tensile fence was completed. Since 1985, acquisitions have restored nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) of land to the estate, bringing the total landholdings to some 2250 acres (9.1 km²).
Since July of 1986, the estate has been home to Wehrmann's herd of purebred Aberdeen Angus cattle, operated by the firm Wehrmann Angus.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
and estate in Rockingham County
Rockingham County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,725 people, 25,355 households, and 18,889 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 27,328 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, located 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the town of New Market
New Market, Virginia
New Market is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It had a population of 2,146 at the 2010 census. New Market is home to the Rebels of the Valley Baseball League, and the New Market Shockers of the Rockingham County Baseball League.-History:...
. With its stately manor house and prime location in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
, Court Manor has long been regarded as "one of the finest estates in the Valley of Virginia." The estate is situated on U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
, which follows the route of the historic Great Wagon Road
Great Wagon Road
The Great Wagon Road was a colonial American improved trail transiting the Great Appalachian Valley from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and from there to Georgia....
, a colonial thoroughfare connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
to Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. The estate's landholdings include some 2000 acres (809.4 ha) of land, extending from the base of the Massanutten Mountain Ridge
Massanutten Mountain
Massanutten Mountain is a synclinal ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Geography:The mountain bisects the Shenandoah Valley just east of Strasburg in Shenandoah County in the north, to its highest peak east of Harrisonburg in Rockingham County in the...
to about one-half mile (0.5 mile (0.80467 km)) west of U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
. The manor house (circa 1800), with its impressive Greek Revival portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
, can be easily seen from the tree-lined stretch of U.S. Route 11 that passes through the heart of the estate.
Colonial Period
Sometime prior to the final surveying of the Fairfax LineFairfax Line
The Fairfax Line was a surveyor's line run in 1746 to establish the limits of the "Northern Neck land grant" in colonial Virginia....
in 1746, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and of Catherine, daughter of Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway....
, granted a tract of land on the Great Wagon Road
Great Wagon Road
The Great Wagon Road was a colonial American improved trail transiting the Great Appalachian Valley from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and from there to Georgia....
near Smith Creek
Smith Creek (Virginia)
Smith Creek is a tributary stream of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Its watershed comprises within Shenandoah and Rockingham counties on the western slope of the Massanutten Mountain ridge...
to a Samuel Newman, who in turn sold the land in 1754 to Thomas Moore, Sr., (1727-1797). The first permanent dwelling to be built on the estate was the house of Thomas Moore, Sr., which was located on a knoll overlooking Smith Creek
Smith Creek (Virginia)
Smith Creek is a tributary stream of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Its watershed comprises within Shenandoah and Rockingham counties on the western slope of the Massanutten Mountain ridge...
. Seeking to expand the size of his landholdings, Moore petitioned the Crown for a land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
of some 7500 acres (3,035.1 ha), which was granted by King George III eleven years later in 1765. For the next century and a half, the estate was to remain in the hands of Moore family.
American Revolution and later 18th century
In the years leading up to the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Moore and his sons continued to expand and improve the estate. Moore's oldest son and future heir, Captain Reuben Moore, Sr., left the estate at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War to serve as an officer in the Rockingham militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
under Colonel Benjamin Harrison. By the war's end in 1784, some 17 members of the Moore family were residing on the estate, both in the original house built by Thomas Moore, Sr., and in a second house built by his third son, Thomas Moore, Jr.
After the war, Captain Moore returned to the plantation and was elected a Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of Rockingham County in 1789. It was Captain Moore who selected a wide, gently rolling tract of land near the Great Wagon Road
Great Wagon Road
The Great Wagon Road was a colonial American improved trail transiting the Great Appalachian Valley from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and from there to Georgia....
on which to build a small log house for his family. A quarter-century later, Captain Moore's son, Reuben Moore, Jr., would build Court Manor on the very spot where his father's log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
once stood.
Design and construction
Reuben Moore, Jr., likely began construction of Court Manor (then known as Mooreland Hall) during the last years of the eighteenth century, following his grandfather's death in 1797. Mooreland Hall would have been a rather conventional exercise in the late colonial style if it were not for the incorporation of the impressive Greek Revival portico into the design. Supported by four massive columns of the Doric orderDoric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
and surmounted by a simple triangular pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
decorated with a single semi-circular window, the scale of the portico dominates the main facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of the house. The large, two-level structure was constructed using bricks fired on site by the plantation's
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
slaves. The house contained twelve spacious rooms, each with a fireplace and with large windows, affording panoramic views of the rolling countryside with the Massanutten Mountain Ridge rising in the distance.
The grandeur of the mansion and its handsomely landscaped grounds served to match the impressive scale of the estate, which at 1,700 acres was unusually large by Valley standards. The wide, spacious lawn, dotted with large tress, slopes gently towards a spring-fed brook that arises on the grounds of the estate less than a mile away and meanders gently towards Smith Creek, which also runs through the estate. Smith Creek was used to power the plantation's mill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, which produced flour and other products that were transported up and down the Great Wagon Road
Great Wagon Road
The Great Wagon Road was a colonial American improved trail transiting the Great Appalachian Valley from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and from there to Georgia....
. The estate remained in the Moore family until 1879, when Oscar Fitz Allen Moore, grandson of Reuben Moore, Jr., sold the estate to William C. & George H. Harrison.
Twentieth Century
While the house was originally known as Mooreland Hall, by the early 20th century the estate came to be known as Court Manor. Over the years the original structure was expanded with various additions including a large enclosed sun porch on the southwest side of the building and an extended suite of guest rooms on the north side of the house. However, after it's 1987 restoration, the front, central portion of the manor house appears today as it did when it was constructed around 1800.In 1925, Court Manor was purchased by Willis Sharpe Kilmer
Willis Sharpe Kilmer
Willis Sharpe Kilmer , son of Jonas M. Kilmer and Julia E. Sharpe, was a marketing pioneer, newspaperman, and horse breeder. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from Cornell University in 1890. Kilmer was perhaps best known for advertising and promoting his uncle's Swamp Root patent medicine...
, a New York entrepreneur, newspaperman, and horse breeder best known for marketing his uncle's popular medicinal tonic "Dr. Kilmer's cure-all remedy Swamp Root". The period of Kilmer's ownership of the estate saw dramatic development of the property, establishing it as one of the country's most preeminent horse studs. Exterminator
Exterminator (horse)
Exterminator was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby, and in 1922 won Horse of the Year honors....
, the winner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, resided on the estate after his racing career, and Reigh Count
Reigh Count
Reigh Count was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and the 1929 Coronation Cup in England....
, the winner of the 1928 Kentucky Derby, was bred and born on the estate. After Kilmer had acquired Court Manor in 1923, he had some 10,000 silver maple
Silver Maple
The silver maple —also called creek maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, or white maple—is a species of maple native to eastern North America in the eastern United States and Canada...
trees planted along the roads of the estate in memory of those lost in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Today these trees are still extant and can be seen lining both sides of U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
as it passes through the estate.
Following Kilmer's death, Court Manor fell into a state of disrepair and slow deterioration. During the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the estate was home to a commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
, and by the early 1980s, the estate's landholdings had dwindled to some 1300 acres (5.3 km²), the manor house was virtually uninhabitable, and the entire estate was in a state of ruin.
In 1985, Court Manor was acquired by North Carolina textile magnate Nicholas Wehrmann, Sr., who initiated a wide-scale renovation of the manor house and estate grounds. The original section of the house and its Greek Revival portico were intact enough to be preserved in whole, but the later additions, which used inferior construction methods, had sustained far too much structural damage to be salvaged. The renovation restored the structure to its original condition and added two additional wings to the house. Also during this period the grounds of the estate were revitalized for agricultural purposes. Pastures underwent extensive renovation, historical barns were preserved, and new construction of barns, corrals, feeding systems, and miles of high tensile fence was completed. Since 1985, acquisitions have restored nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) of land to the estate, bringing the total landholdings to some 2250 acres (9.1 km²).
Since July of 1986, the estate has been home to Wehrmann's herd of purebred Aberdeen Angus cattle, operated by the firm Wehrmann Angus.