Oldal 265 [265]
HISTORIC GARDENS "OP. VIRGINIA
large arbors covered with Cherokee roses. From the end of this
walk, two rows of white and purple fig bushes extended. Some of
these still remain, along with the old boxwood trees; with numbers
of yellow tea and moss roses, whose bushes are known to be a
hundred years old. The moisture of the atmosphere probably ac¬
counts for the longevity of these old roses.
Under the boxwood trees the periwinkle is still profuse. The
yellow jessamine, the crepe myrtle, rose of Sharon, lily of the valley
and jonquils still thrive as the daisies of the field. The smoke
trees and flowering almond have gone, but the old Scuppernong
grape arbor has been restored.
At the death of John Patterson, Poplar Grove passed to his
daughter, who married Christopher Tompkins, the father of Miss
Sally Tompkins, the beloved little “captain” of the Confederacy,
who lived here until she was sixteen.
Captain Sally Tompkins, during the War Between the States,
devoted herself and her fortune to the care of sick and wounded
Confederate soldiers in Richmond. Appreciating the value and
earnestness of her work, and realizing the necessity for as much
freedom as it was possible to have, General Lee gave her a com¬
mission with the rank of Captain, C. S. A. It was through her
influence that Christ Church, in Kingston Parish, was established.
In its yard she now lies buried in the same grave with her sister,
preferring this to the family burying ground at Poplar Grove.
The latter is surrounded by a high brick wall, sheltered by four
giant pines. These old trees tower so high above the rest of the
landscape that sailors out in the bay use them as a landmark.
A winding lane of half a mile, with cedar and locust trees on
either side, leads from the public road to the house. The poplar
trees which were the glory of the lawn, and which gave the estate
its name, have long since gone, bat they have been succeeded by
elms and maples, lindens and walnut trees.
The place passed from the Tompkins’ to the family of John
Tabb, who sold it to Christopher Brown. At the death of the
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