Zen-Sunset Travel Network

Mayhurst, Orange, Virginia

The Civil War and Virginia are forever linked in history bringing back recollections of Generals Lee, Jackson and Hill.

Although in proximity of six Civil War battlefields, Mayhurst emerged from the war unscathed.  Built in 1859 by Colonel John Willis, the house became the headquarters for  General Ambrose Powell (A.P.) Hill, commander of the III Corps of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Virginia.

Gen. Hill commanded over 18,000 men from a tent in the front yard over the winter of 1863-64. Lee once said regarding Hill, "Next to Longstreet and Jackson, I consider A.P. Hill the best commander with me. He fights his troops well and takes good care of them."

The Willis household also entertained Gen. Robert E. Lee during that winter as he traveled from his encampment of 15,000 men on the east side of town. Gen. Hill's wife, Kitty, stayed at Mayhurst over the winter and gave birth to a daughter, Lucy Lee Hill. Her godfather, General Lee, held her in his arms throughout the christening ceremony at Mayhurst on May 1, 1864.

Col. Willis, great nephew of President James Madison, was 50 years old when he built the mansion for his family of eight children. The plantation housed fifty slaves working the fields and the main house, and produced tobacco, corn, cattle, hogs and horses.

Mayhurst is a magnificent and rare 9200 sq. ft. Italianate Victorian gem, remarkable for its fanciful exuberant architecture and oval-spiral staircase ascending four floors.  Mayhurst's Italian Villa style is described by architectural historian William B. O'Neal as "a delicious Victorian fantasy." The architect has not been recorded; however, its stylistic similarity to Camden in Caroline County has led to its attribution to Norris G. Starkweather of Baltimore.  Other speculation has centered on Charles Haskins of Haskins and Anderson of Washington, D.C., who designed the Villa-style Orange County Courthouse.

Situated on 37 pristine acres of lawn, pond, gardens, fields and old growth forest Mayhurst is filled with history and romance and is now a Bed and Breakfast operated by Jack and Pat North.  Additional pictures and information may be found on their website. Look for the vacation packages.  A Virginia Historic Landmark, Mayhurst is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places,  and is on the "Journey Through Hallowed Ground."

Local history:
Two years earlier, General "Stonewall" Jackson's cavalry was in the Orange area fighting the Federal cavalry on Main Street on August 2, 1862. A few days later, the Willis household notices a man seated and resting on their gatepost. Someone was sent out to offer assistance. It is General "Stonewall" Jackson, who is invited to stay the night, he accepts. Two Jackson biographers, Robert Krick and James Robertson, Jr., confirm that he spent the night at the home of Mr. Willis, three quarters of a mile south of town. Three days later while marching from Orange to Culpeper, General Jackson encounters Union General John Pope and defeats him in the Battle of Cedar Mountain.

Colonel Willis had supported the Confederacy very generously and was unable to pay taxes. He lost his home and at least 1700 of his 2500 acres in 1868. It was purchased by a Northern carpetbagger sent by the Federal government to administer the county. An original 110 year old copy of his obituary, found in the attic in 1996 and now hanging in the front hall, states "He bore the loss of his wealth with a philosophical fortitude that almost amounted to indifference, and no one can say that they ever heard a murmur escape his lips that having been rich he had become poor." He is buried at Montpelier.

Origin of the Name

The property was originally known as "Howard Place", named after the previous owners. Letters written in mid-1862 by Generals Stonewall Jackson and A. P. Hill refer to the location as the "Howard Place".

By late 1863, Gen. Hill describes the place as "Mayhurst".  Pat North is convinced that Mrs. Willis would have insisted the property be renamed to honor of the newly-built mansion.  The consensus is that the origin of Mayhurst is a German word meaning "May's House" or "House of May" - but no one named May has been found in the family.  The exact details may never be known.

Mayhurst's sesquicentennial (1859-2009) is next year. For information contact Jack and Pat North at Mayhurst, email: MayhurstBandB@aol.com.