Page 230 [230]
RECESS
MACK from the James River, on the highlands,
nestled among the trees which have long been a
feature of the place, lies the Recess garden. This
was laid out under the direction of General John H.
Cocke, who left his home in Surrey County, Vir¬
ginia, to come to the estate of his forefathers,
before the War of 1812.
General Cocke settled temporarily at Bremo Recess while he
was building the handsome home a few miles away which he called
Bremo, in memory of an early home of his family in Henrico
County.
The Recess garden occupied an exact acre and lies four square.
The uplands were not as fertile as the lowgrounds, so General
Cocke had three feet of the soil removed from the garden and
replaced it with three feet of earth from the lowgrounds, thus
making it rich to begin with. The garden was laid out in squares
with walks between and a narrow border around each square for
flowers or grapevines. It was all enclosed by a stone wall, parts of
which were and still are covered with English ivy, making it very
picturesque.
There are vines and rosebushes left in this garden that were
loved and cherished by the wife of General Cocke. One in par¬
ticular, that flourishes today and has given delight to many of her
descendants, is called the musk cluster. ‘This has the most unique
and exquisite odor imaginable. Like all odors, it has the power of
awakening the memories of so much that is dear and sacred of those
who are gone.
Before he died, General Cocke gave Recess to his oldest son
and namesake. One of the legacies left by the latter was a splendid
collection of pear trees, which have delighted generations of chil¬
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