Historic Ivy Cliff slave cabin
Posted by admin | Filed under Historic Preservation Projects
Ivy Cliff Historic Plantation;
Forest (New London), VA
9/27/09
As part of our newly implemented community service program, SHPS’ first opportunity to volunteer our time presented itself at Historic Ivy Cliff, a 200+ year old plantation in New London, VA. Owner and director Chris Gulluscio indicated he had been struggling in effort to find resources and the manpower to shore up a deteriorating slave cabin on the property. This sounded right up our alley, so a work day was arranged and SHPS showed up in force to do what we could to preserve this extraordinary structure on one of Bedford County’s oldest historic properties.
From http://www.historicivycliff.com
History:
Ivy Cliff Slave Cabin - undated
Ivy Cliff Slave Cabin 2009
Ivy Cliff began as a modest two story home built in the 1790’s by Henry Brown in Bedford County VA near the town of New London. There were at least four additions through the 1860’s. Henry became very wealthy through business and land ownership and eventually owned approximately 3400 acres including Ivy Cliff. He served in the militia during the revolutionary war, was wounded at the battle of Guilford Courthouse, N.C., and eventually made captain many years after the war. Henry served as President of the Board of Trustees of New London Academy, Sheriff of Bedford County, and county tax collector. He even collected taxes from his neighbor, Thomas Jefferson.
Rusty, Chris, Mike and Randy surveying the damage
Not pretty, but holding for now...
Henry Brown’s descendants were actively involved in politics throughout the 1800’s and his grandson, Colo. John Thompson Brown died at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. JTB’s Frock coat he died in has survived all these years and was sold at auction in 2007 for over $100,000! Brown descendants lived at Ivy Cliff until 1923 when the house was sold at auction to the Miles family who lived here until 2005.
Today, Ivy Cliff is comprised of 17 acres, original chicken and carrier pigeon coup, corn crib, servant cabin, water well, early 20th century cow barn, tobacco barn, and chick brooding pen. Since Jefferson was a neighbor, it is the belief of some architectural historians that the triple hung windows were designed by Thomas Jefferson.
David P reinforcing the breezeway floor
In addition to stabilizing an extremely fragile outside wall of the two hundred year old cabin, SHPS also cleared the structure of debris , brush and weeds, and shored up a failing floor in the breezeway between the two separate rooms.
Randy with a power mower... scary
Annette & Wanda clearing brush
If you have a historic preservation project you would like SHPS to help with, please contact our Community Service Project Coordinator, Annette, at annette@sevehillsparanormal.com.
Tags: apparition, civil war, civil war ghost, ghost, ghost hunter, haunted, investigation, ivy cliff, lynchburg, lynchburg ghosts, lynchburg paranormal, paranormal, slave, slave cabin, voodoo
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