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HÁG N ÉS eee en ened HISTORIO" GARDBRN BALE NN TURNÉN ET VA dl — —=—- A eS generations, but no residence was ever on same until the present house was built in 1902. The development of the Briarfield Plantation has been very unique. Driveways were cut through the primeval forests to the site of Briarfield House, which stands on a very high hill. This hill, purposely, has never been cleared. In the very early days, some small houses were built by “‘redemptioners,’’ who figured so largely as a sure source of labor for our ancestors. hese were the planters of early colonization—the indentured immigrants who sold their time for passage across the Atlantic to the new world. On either side of Briarfield House wide borders have been planted, care being exercised to obtain the effect of bulbs, shrubs, perennials and vines just coming each season as do the wild flowers. Thus, thousands of flowers of many varieties bloom happily together, creating a delightful departure from the usual formal gardens of lawn and hedges, with designed flower beds. Every effort has been put forth to conserve all wild growth, and one can enjoy here dwarf iris, bluettes, partridge clutch, white and yellow orchids, also trees of “Dogwood,” ‘“‘Sourwood” and ‘Fringe Tree.’ From the southwest gallery of Briarfield House a view for sixty miles of the Dan River Valley is a source of endless joy, whether by moonlight, sunlight, or in shade or shadow. ‘The fertile lowgrounds sweep out of sight to the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and even when extensive freshets cover miles in width the scene 15 one of great beauty. The money crop of this plantation is tobacco, and at Briarfield and Chatmoss, together, about a million tobacco plants " are usually set out. CHATMOSS Chatmoss, built in 1850 by Samuel Harden Hairston and his wife, Ailsy, parents of present owner, is six miles from Martinsville, in Henry County, on the National Highway. The twenty-acre lawn has a wonderful collection of native trees. The garden, which is quite large, contains a wealth of dwarf box. [318 ]
