HORDSVILLE PLANTATION
Hordsville
was built in 1836 by George Hairston and Louisa Hardyman Hairston. He was the
son of George Hairston and Elizabeth Perkins (Letcher) Hairston. It is located
near Stanleytown on the old Carolina Post Road between Bassett and Fieldale and
is copy of a house George had seen in
Richmond. It was built of brick made by
slaves on the plantation and iron from the Hairston Foundry located where Fairystone Park is now. The land was purchased from John Hord, an Englishman,
who is buried on a knoll, which can be seen from the front of the house. Near
the house is the old cemetery referred to as "God's Acre" where many
of the Hairston and related families are buried.
To begin one's tour of this beautiful old home we see the soapstone walk
which has been worn down by a century of use, huge wooden doors held together
with pegs, and a lovely hand-carved circular staircase leading to the third
floor.
An
oil portrait of George Hairston once dominated the living room, but this
portrait is now owned by Louisa Breeden. His treasures include a marble top
liquor case from Scotland, a table with scalloped top, which turns like a lazy
Susan, and a miniature blown glass elk.
Each room at Hordsville has a large fireplace. The dining room was
furnished with a huge banquet table where George Hairston entertained many
friends. The walnut corner cupboard was put together with wooden pegs and is a
collector’s item. The spurs and hunting horn of George Hairston did hang in
the hall reminding us of the gentleman who lived and hunted here for so many
years. The guest quarters contained the sleigh bed belonging to George. Other
pieces from the pre-civil war period were iron mortars and pestles and an iron
washbowl, which were made at George Hairston's Union Furnace Iron Works in
Patrick County.
George Hairston, generally called "Old Rusty", graduated from
Princeton in 1805 and married Louisa Hardyman, a ward of President John Tyler.
He first lived at Marrowbone but later built Hordsville, where he spent the
remainder of his life. He served as a member of the Virginia Legislature longer
than any member before or since. He was the originator of the Smith River
Navigation Company and the Union Iron Works.
A large cemetery is located to the rear of the house.
by Carolyn Henderson, Libba Johnson and Robert E. Hairston, Jr.