Oldal 62 [62]
UPPER BRANDON
Sears PPER BRANDON, so called in contradistinction to
wa the older plantation of which it was once a part,
4a) lies also on the south side of James River. The
family seat of the Harrisons, is very lovely, wind¬
ing at times along the brink of the river, and again
through woodland dense in shade and greenery.
Although several generations junior to its venerable sisters,
Brandon, Shirley and Westover, a hundred years have come and
gone since the spacious foundations for the house at Upper Brandon
were laid on the fertile slope, one hundred and fifty yards back
from the river.
Built by William Byrd Harrison, son of Benjamin Harrison,
of Brandon, its general plan is somewhat like that of the older
place, though the lines are a trifle more massive, and the wings
have two stories. ‘Lhe situation of the dwelling commands one
of the best river sites, and the park which surrounds it is heavily
shaded by many trees. Conspicuous among the latter are the wil¬
low oaks, which have made such prodigious growth that now they
rear their tall tops above the highest gables. Still other trees upon
the lawn are beech, poplar and magnolia.
Box lines the walks leading from the front of the house to the
old terraced garden, where they end in a serpentine, now somewhat
difhcult to trace. ‘his design, the only one of the kind in Amer¬
ica, is said to be one of the oldest andi rarest to be found in
England. Within many of its sinuous curves jonquils and grape
hyacinths are naturalized, giving in spring an effect both beautiful
and interesting. This dwarf boxwood found a genial home in the
soil of Upper Brandon and, during the past centuries, has made
such notable growth that now it is the glory of the place.
The garden itself, which suffered greatly from 1862 to 1865,
139]