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OAK HILL
"By a garden is meant a place of spiritual repose—stillness—peace—refresh¬
ment—delight. —Cardinal Newman.
AK HILL, the stately home of James Monroe, in
Loudoun County, Virginia, was built by him while
a President of the United States.
ÉL ;
MON y/ . The place took its name from an avenue of
c wae giant oaks towering above all other trees on the
Sz] spacious lawn. At Oak Hill today there may be
seen a letter from President Monroe written from the White House
to William Benton, the manager of the estate. In this letter the
President gives instructions regarding the avenue leading from the
house to the public road and states that it is to be lined with Lom¬
bardy poplars planted as he directs.
This President chose wisely in selecting Loudoun County as his
home. In the distance the Blue Ridge Mountains, ever veiled in a
blue and violet haze, and around him an undulating, varied land¬
scape whose climate, except for one district in the hill country of
Bavaria, has been shown by health statistics to be the most healthful
region in the world.
The plan of the house is said to follow that of the White
House, and is a striking example of the taste in the early years
of the Republic for the severely classical in domestic architecture.
It is built of brick, and its great portico is graced by seven massive
Doric columns, nine feet in circumference and thirty feet high.
The flower garden lying at the rear of the house is overlooked
by the porch which, in most Georgian manor houses, characterized
the rear, or more private entrance. The ground slopes slightly
from the house, and while the garden is not a large one, it is laid
out in fine proportions, and with taste. ‘There are three terraces,
and with such a setting one can imagine the beauty of masses of
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