Farmington Dania Khlaifat, 2019 GCV Rudy J. Favretti Fellow

Farmington
“The epitome of Hospitality and good cheer”

Prepared for The Garden Club of Virginia
Dania Khlaifat, 2019 Rudy J. Favretti
Copyright © 2019 by The Garden Club of Virginia.
All Rights Reserved.
Images: Images included in this report without other credits were made by the author.
Reproduction: All material contained herein is the intellectual property of the Garden
Club of Virginia except where noted.
Permission for reproduction, except for personal use, must be obtained from:
The Fellowship Committee, Chair

The Garden Club of Virginia
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Farmington - Garden Club of Virginia - Dania Khlaifat - 2019 Rudy J. Favretti Fellow
3 Cover photo
Figure 1: Main structure at Farmington
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Acknowledgments 8
Introduction 10
Chapter 2
Significance of Farmington 16
Historic Overview 20
History of Ownership 27
(with extended history on George Divers & Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper)
Chapter 3
The Development of Farmington 68
Analysis of the Farmington Landscape 78
George Divers’ time period 79
Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper’s time period 122
Chapter 4
Discussions & Conclusions 138
List of Figures 140
Appendices 143
Bibliography 160
Further Sources 164
4
5
6
Chapter 1
7 Opposite
Figure 2: Side view of Farmington’s main structure
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to the Garden Club of Virginia for the wonderful opportunity
they granted me to study Farmington. I acknowledge with sincere thanks the resources that I was
able to find with the help of the archivists at Farmington Historical Society, specifically Mrs. Anne
Sloop, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, the Jefferson Library, the Library of
Virginia, along with many others.
I would also like to give special thanks to the office of Rieley & Associates for their constant support
and follow-up throughout the research process, and to Peter Hatch (author, gardener, historian),
Jack Gary (director of Archaeology at Colonial Williamsburg), and Janice Carter (of the Garden
Club of Virginia and the Farmington Historical Society Foundation).
I hope that this study is but a stepping stone to shed more light on Farmington’s history and
plantations, and that future investigation continues to unravel its mysteries.
Opposite
Figure 3: Bridge at Farmington
8 Chapter 1 - Acknowledgments
9
Introduction
Farmington, currently known as Farmington Country Club, has a rich history of nearly
300 years. Its first owner and first recorded history date back to 1735. Subsequently
twelve different individuals owned it until it became a private country club.
Situated in Albemarle County, about six miles northwest of Charlottesville’s downtown, Farmington
lies amidst an area of spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains (figure 7). Farmington’s story
is not just about its social life, but a story of sacrifice, especially during the Civil War. Another
struggle which Farmington undertook is its long-lasting challenge of completing its mansion.
Construction was only complete after 1830, nearly a hundred years since it was first owned.1
Social life has always been a recurring theme in the history of Farmington. It is no surprise that it
was and is still visited by America’s most prominent figures. Of these notable figures were Thomas
Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt. The simple form of its brick mansion combines elegant Jeffersonian
design with spaciousness and integrity, reflecting the story of Farmington and its owners, and
bearing witness to the taste and culture of its founders. Furthermore, the theme which Farmington
adopted was a theme of community and social life which has continued since it was first inhabited.
This in itself makes Farmington like no other plantation in America and like no other country club.
10 Chapter 1 - Introduction
1 Michael J Broome, Farmington Country Club Extraordinary people in a remarkable place (Farmington Country Club, 2003), 7-11.
Figure 4: Context map of Farmington
This study aims to explore what makes Farmington significant from an aesthetic, an historic, and a socio-
cultural perspective. It also aims to give a broad overview of how Farmington changed over time and to
delve into the major historic events which took place.
The architectural elements at Farmington have been explored previously by historians, but the landscape
elements have not. A focus will be given to two prominent owners, George Divers and Mary Anne Miller
Wood Harper. It will analyze their efforts in the plantation based on historic accounts, theory, and records
to give us a clearer idea of the layout of the plantation, its gardens, and fields.
While this study was confined to a certain time frame, its aim is to open doors to extensive future research,
conversation, and discoveries.
Figure 5: Farmington’s location in the county of Albemarle (shown in red).
14
Chapter 2
15 Opposite
Figure 6: One of Farmington’s passageways.
Significance of Farmington
There are several types of significance for historic places. According to the Burra Charter2, cultural
significance is concerned with aesthetic, historic, scientific, social or spiritual value for past, present or
future generations. Cultural significance is embodied in the heritage site itself: its fabric, setting, use,
associations, meanings, records, related places and objects.3
Farmington has been included both on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks
Register in 1970 for its architectural significance. The Jeffersonian style and presence of Farmington’s
main house assures its aesthetic value and significance because of the place Jefferson held in the history
of American architecture, gardens, and politics. Farmington is also of aesthetic value, because of its local
context, as a country club of rich history and aesthetic characteristics valued by its community or cultural
group.
16 Chapter 2 - Significance of Farmington

2 The Burra Charter provides guidance for the conservation, preservation and management of places of cultural significance and works in
accordance with the expertise and knowledge of International Council on Monuments (ICOMOS).
3 Martijn R. Manders et al, Significance Assessment, (UNESCO: Bangkok, 2012), 3.
Figure 7: Views from Farmington overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains
“A site may have also have outstanding heritage value to a nation because of its strong association with a
particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons”. 4 In which case, Farmington
has been associated with a unique cultural class since its inception, of which Thomas Jefferson played a
major part. It is also of socio-cultural significance for its association with America’s history with slavery
and the Civil War.
Another element of significance is the historic value of Farmington. This is reflected in Farmington’s
narrative, which includes three centuries of rich history, including the Civil War.
However, Farmington is appraised mainly for its architectural significance. The plantation has
significantly changed since it was first owned. This study will help uncover history of the landscape.

4 Martijn R. Manders et al, Significance Assessment, (UNESCO: Bangkok, 2012), 10.
Figure 8: Sketch of Farmington by Henderson Heyward, 1970.
Historic Overview
Revolutionary War 1775 - 1783

By the time the Revolutionary War had began in 1775, Farmington was owned by its fourth owner,
Francis Jerdone Jr., who will be further explored in this chapter. This period was one of ideas and ideals
and led to the independence of America.5 On the other hand, it caused a stagnation in the development
of Farmington. The war reached Virginia from Connecticut and North Carolina, allowing the Virginia
General Assembly to take ownership of property of British subjects under the new escheatment law.
Farmington was confiscated from Jerdone Jr., as he was believed to be a Tory.
20 Chapter 2 - Historic Overview

5 American Battlefield Trust, Overview of the American Revolutionary War, accessed August 10th, 2019, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/
overview-american-revolutionary-war.
Civil War 1861 - 1865
“The American Civil War was the largest and most destructive conflict in the Western world between
the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the onset of World War I in 1914”.6 The war resulted in
the nationalism of the United States, as well as the end of the institution of slavery. Its ramifications on
Farmington meant that Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper (Farmington’s 10th owner) was greatly affected by
the arrival of the Union Troops to Farmington (which will be explored in detail in this chapter).

6 American Battlefield Trust, A Brief Overview of the American Civil War, accessed August 10th, 2019, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/
brief-overview-american-civil-war.
The Great Depression 1929 - 1939
The Great Depression of 1929 to 1939 was regarded as the worst economic period in the industrialized
world. The repercussions of the Depression affected millions of investors and caused great panic in the
country. In the several years that followed, consumer spending and investment dropped, which in turn
caused steep declines in industrial output and employment.7
In spite of the impacts of the Great Depression, Farmington Country Club was established in 1927 and
opened its doors to members in 1929. Real-estate developer Donald Stevens believed in Farmington, along
with sixteen residents of Albemarle who provided capital to start the club and became its first members.

7 Great Depression history, accessed October 17th 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history.
Hunt Club 1929 - present
Farmington has been a hunt club since 1929. The area of the Hunt Club, recognized for its spaciousness, is
bounded from the east by Ivy Creek, from the south by Route 250 West, and from the west by Crozet and
the Blue Ridge Mountains (figure 10) and provided spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.8
Within the boundaries of the Hunt Club lie large estates, farms, and housing developments, and the sport
has been affected by the encroaching development. The members put forth great effort to advocate for the
conservation of the land, as the sport depends entirely on the availability of large tracts. The conservation
efforts of the Hunt Club members allowed the protection of 62,000 acres of land from development. While
Farmington Country Club lies in a very small fraction of the whole area of the Hunt Club, its history is
associated with a culture of equestrianism and is part of the historic fabric of Farmington.
Figure 9: Sketches of Farmington Hunt Club by Robert E. Lee Gildea, Jr.

8 Mary Washington Graham, Reminiscences of the Farmington Hunt Club, (Acme Visible Records, Inc, 1970).
Figure 10: Farmington Hunt Club map by Robert E. Lee Gildea, Jr.
Figure 11: Sketch of hunt club by Farmington’s main structure in the background by Robert E. Lee Gildea, Jr.
Figure 12: Time-line of owners of Farmington, showing time period of ownership, and image of owner (if available).
26 Chapter 2 - History of Ownership
History of Ownership
The history of Farmington predates the history of its owners. Its first owner, Michael Holland, can be first
tracked to 1735. From that time onward, Farmington has been owned by thirteen different owners, each
with a unique story and influence on the land, its structures, and plantation.
The dates used to tell the story of each owner are the dates that they owned the property, not the duration
of their lifetimes. Images were also used, if found, alongside the name of the owner. This chapter explores
the most important history of each owner of Farmington with extended history on two prominent figures,
George Divers and Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper.
Michael Holland 1735 - 1745:
The first owner of record dates to September 10th, 1735, when Michael Holland, who lived in what is
now Hanover County, received a royal grant from George II of England, with 4,356 acres of land on both
sides of Ivy Creek on the south side of the Rivanna River. At the time, it was part of what was known as
Goochland County in what later became Albemarle County in 1744.9
Holland had lived in Louisa, Goochland and Henrico Counties and patented many lands in each. His
patent of Farmington required that he “seat” the land. “Seating” meant improvements on the land , meant
to be made within three years to retain ownership. Such efforts involved erecting a structure, growing
tobacco or corn, or raising cattle.
It is said that Holland had hired someone to build a crude cabin on the land, but never lived there himself,
as he saw the land as an investment rather than a place to live.10 By 1745, after his second patent, he
managed to increase his land by 397 acres to 4,753 acres, and decided to sell it to Charles Lewis.
Holland’s patent was one of the first grants beyond the Rivanna River, on the prospering frontier of
the Virginia colony. Although colonial settlement had begun emerging in the Blue Ridge Mountains,
Farmington was still on the western frontier. Holland was a significant figure in eighteenth-century Virginia
and a successful land proprietor. Many county records show deeds of his buying and selling of land. At his
death in 1747, he left a wife, nine children (three of whom were minors), several pieces of land, slaves, and
money.

9 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A History of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished), 56.
10 Ibid, 4.
Figure 13: Map of patents & grants in Albemarle County, 1722-1800 Figure 14: Enlarged map of Michael Holland’s patent of Farmington (4,365 acres)
Charles Lewis 1745 - 1758:
On July 25th, 1745, Michael Holland sold the property to Charles Lewis of Goochland County. The Lewis
family had many important connections. His father was General Robert Lewis of Brecon, Wales, who came
to Virginia in 1635 to settle in Gloucester County with his wife Elizabeth. His great grandfather was George
Reade, founder of Yorktown. His aunt was George Washington’s grandmother, and his own son married
Thomas Jefferson’s aunt.
In addition to his ownership of Farmington, his brother, also named Robert Lewis, patented 6,500 acres
near Ivy Depot, which included “Locust Hill” and was likely adjacent to Farmington. Meriwether Lewis,
Robert’s grandson, was born on this tract of land and later owned it. However, Charles Lewis’ plans to have
his son, James Lewis, own the property changed, as Francis Jerdone of Louisa County offered a tempting
amount of 1,000 pounds (of Virginia currency at the time) plus a tract of 1,535 acres along the James
River in exchange for Farmington. The deed was carried out in 1758 (figure 15) where Lewis (referred to
as Charles Capt.) sold his 4,753 acre property at Farmington. The deed indicated that Charles’ son, James,
would receive the offered amount from Jerdone. It also contained a record that Charles had intended the
land would be a “suitable provision and fortune” for his son “in consideration of natural love and affection”.
11
The deed also contained language that indicates the inclusion of “houses, buildings, gardens, orchards,
meadows, pastures, waters, water courses, woods, under woods, ways, easements, profits, commodities,
hereditaments and appurtenances” 12 on the tract. However, the language used was the standard in a large
number of deeds of that period and not indicative of actual components of the tract. It is impossible to
verify if these elements existed on Farmington unless proven by other pieces of evidence.

11 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A HIstory of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished), 5-7.
12 Ibid, 5-7.
Figure 15: Record showing the sale of Farmington (4,753 acres), between Charles Lewis and Francis Jerdone (indicated in yellow).
Francis Jerdone 1758 - 1771:
Francis Jerdone, the third owner of Farmington, was a Scotsman who arrived in America in 1740. He
resided in Louisa County. Unlike the previous owners, Jerdone was not from a prominent family nor a
wealthy investor. He was a 20-year-old indentured servant for a London mercantile firm (Buchanan and
Hamilton) acting as a roving factor, purchasing tobacco. By 1741, he completed his indenture and returned
briefly to England. Around 1745 he returned to Colonial Virginia , this time as an employee of Buchanan
and Hamilton. Shortly after, he opened a store in Yorktown, marking the beginning of ownership of a chain
of stores. He was dubbed as “the first chain store operator in America” 13. He later opened a store with his
business partner in Hanover County and many others along the James River.
In 1753, Jerdone married Sarah Macon of New Kent County. They moved that summer to Louisa County.
On April 7th, 1758, he purchased Farmington, at the age of 38, at the price of a thousand pounds and
twenty shillings (figure 15).14 As the new owner, he constructed a mill and a large millpond at Farmington.
The millpond was at least two miles long, stretching along Inglecress subdivision of Ivy Creek, near the
pumping station (12th golf hole at Farmington Country Club). The plantation at Farmington was run
by a local manager named James Kerr.15 By 1760, Jerdone had selected a site for a home on the crown of
a slope, facing the magnificent view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The house was made of bricks kilned
from red clay soil found on the property. Constructed by Jerdone’s enslaved laborers, the house was made
of yard-thick brick walls that formed a substantial square residence.16 Other sources also attribute the first
structure to Jerdone.17 Figure 16 shows what how the structure may have looked at the time of Jerdone’s
ownership and also shows the Jeffersonian addition of George Divers' time.
Chapter 2 - History of Ownership

14 Deed Book 2, Albemarle County, 56.
32 15 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place, (Farmington Country Club: 2003), 13.
16 Gustavus Arnold, Farmington Country Club, retrieved from Farmington Historical Society, 1959.
17 Michigan Society of Architects, monthly bulletin. Dec. 1958 issue, 58.
Figure 16: Drawing of the house at Farmington, 1860
Other sketches by K. Edward Lay and Robert A. Kuhlthau (figure 17) analyze the historical development of
the main structure (residence) at Farmington, concluding that the square part of the house had been built
prior to 1803. Therefore, it is likely to be Francis Jerdone’s first structure at Farmington.
Jerdone died in 1771, a very rich man. He owned a mill and 3,000 acres in Spotsylvania, a mill and forge
in New Kent, a large plantation including a mill in Albemarle County (Farmington), leaving his wealth to
his nine children and a few friends. He also left a chain of stores in Louisa, York, and New Kent counties.
Jerdone’s inventory included 49 slaves (all named), 18 head of horses, 109 head of cattle, 223 head of
hogs, 20 head of sheep, and a large number of tools and farm implements.18 His inventory suggests a large
agricultural operation. Francis Jerdone Jr., Jerdone’s 15-year-old son, inherited the property, making him
the fourth owner of Farmington.

Figure 17: Sketches of K. Edward Lay & Robert A. Kuhlthau analyzing the history of the structures at Farmington
Francis Jerdone Jr. 1771 - 1785:
The fourth owner of Farmington, Francis Jr., inherited Farmington at an inopportune time. By the time
15-year-old Francis Jr. became of age in 1777, the Revolutionary War had begun, entailing that the
Virginia General Assembly had the right to take ownership of property of British subjects under the new
escheatment law.19 In 1779, the property and 52 of his slaves were seized by the General Assembly in
pursuant of the escheatment laws, and in confirmation that Jerdone Jr. was a Tory, and therefore opposed,
to the “new cause”.20 The Assembly later exempted those who had gone to Britain to join family or friends
or for education from these laws of confiscation.
Francis’ mother, Sarah Macon Jerdone, had filed for the protection of the property at Farmington on the
Above
Figure 18: Francis Jerdone Jr. grounds that she was in England to educate her children.21 Consequently, Francis reclaimed ownership
until he decided to live in Louisa instead, where he ran his deceased father’s affairs. The inventory of the
land at Jerdone Jr.’s time included a tract of land lying in the county of Albemarle on Ivy Creek containing
an estimated 3,421 acres. Also included were 53 slaves (all named), 16 horses, 80 head of cattle, hogs and
sheep and other personal property.22 In 1785 Francis sold the property to Divers. The reason behind the
sale is unclear and unverified. Some accounts state that Jerdone sold the property to escape the disgrace of
Toryism.

19 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A History of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished), 13-15.
20 American Guide Series, Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion, (North American Book Distributors, LLC, 1941), 565.
21 Ibid, 565.
George Divers 1785 - 1830:
Divers appeared in the records of Albemarle County in 1778 upon purchasing land in the South Garden
region. It is also said that he was Jewish.23 In 1782, personal property tax records of Albemarle show him
to be among its wealthiest residents.24 In 1778 alone, he bought a little over 166 acres of land in the South
Garden area and sold 900 acres of land to Peter Clarkson (figure 19).25 He was also a lawyer and a miller.
In 1781, Divers (33 years old) married Martha (21 years old), the youngest of eight daughters and one of
the twelve children of Dr. Thomas Walker, a renowned physician. One of his patients was Peter Jefferson,
Thomas Jefferson’s father. Walker was from Castle Hill. For his notable position in Albemarle, in the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and his good reputation, Peter Jefferson appointed him guardian of Thomas
Jefferson. In 1762, Walker initiated a bill in the House of Burgesses to establish the town of Charlottesville.
This is evidenced in Walker’s name appearing on the deeds for the sale of the lots of the original town.
Perhaps through Divers’ marriage to Martha and his connection to her father, he became good friends with
Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s correspondence note his dealings with Divers as early as 1792.26
When Divers heard that Farmington was for sale, he rode on horseback from Philadelphia to Charlottesville,
exhausting as many as four horses in the journey. Divers made it his goal to reach Charlottesville before
the Continental paper money he carried became worthless, as the government was to issue National paper
money.27 He was also concerned that someone would buy Farmington before him. One resource describes
Divers’ interest in buying the large estate and its mill for the tempting selling price of only 5,000 pounds.
The deed between Jerdone and Divers shows that the amount of 5,000 pounds was received by Divers
(figure 22).28 However, their correspondence shows that Divers owed Jerdone 10,000 pounds (for unknown
reasons). They also discussed the weather, crops, and the repayment of the loan in their letters.

23 Cemetery records. Letter from Mary Rawlings to Roy E. Harris, Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, 1954, 27 Ibid, 5
V. 7, 149. 28 Deed Book 9, Library of Virginia, 82-84
24 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A Hiistory of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished), 5.
25 General Index to deeds, Library of Virginia, 1-2.
26 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Digital Edition, Jefferson to Divers, 26 Novembert 1792.
Figure 19: Deed showing sales between George Divers and others (showing the year at which the sale took place & plot size).
As the new owner of Farmington, George Divers welcomed his family and friends for visits. Martha’s
niece, Judith Page Walker, was a frequent visitor who wrote about her visits to Farmington and mentioned
her “Uncle” and “Aunt”. Their activities ranged from hunting and fishing for men to riding and gardening
for women.29 It was said that whenever Mr. Jefferson had any distinguished visitors, he always had them
invited to Farmington, as it furnished rather a higher specimen of Virginia good cheer than they found at
Monticello, 30 as Judith described in her autobiography.
Judith Page Walker Rives wrote in her autobiography of her visit in 1818 (age 16): “To the residence of this
relative, then, we went, and were received with the kindness of which we had often been assured before. To
those who remember Farmington in the days of its first proprietors, a description would be useless, for it
was known far and near as the perfection of hospitality and good-cheer”.
She add: “My excellent aunt entered, like a good wife, as she was, into all his projects and improvements.
Above
Figure 20: Judith Walker Rives She took great pleasure in her household duties, which she fulfilled with great cleverness and fidelity.
It is not wonderful, therefore, that Farmington became the synonym of all good house-keeping, and of
everything that was excellent in that line”. 31
Other frequent visitors were John and Peachy Gilmer. In Peachy’s autobiography, he confessed accomplishing
very little in his studies as he was distracted by Farmington’s social life: "The society was indeed excellent.
Col. T. M. Randolph, Peter Carr, Dabney Carr, Dr. Bache, Mr. Wirt, Mr. Jefferson, Col. Monroe, Mr. G.
Divers, Col. Wilson Nicholas and some others formed then in Albemarle a social circle such as I have
never known. Meriwether Lewis was too, sometimes with us, sometimes absent; and very often interesting
strangers to Monticello and Mr. Jefferson”. 32

30 Judith Page Rives, Autobiography written for her grandchildren, ACHS MS-424.6. (Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, Unpublished), 44.
31 Ibid, 42.
32 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A Hiistory of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society. Unpublished), 7-8.
Figure 21: The first structure at Farmington (the square part of the house & the Jeffersonian addition).
Divers maintained a lifelong connection to Jefferson. In their correspondence, which dates back to 1792,
Jefferson took Divers’ advice on a good design for a still to distill his grain and fruit. He not only gave
Jefferson the right advice on the correct size of a still to save corn, but was also a miller, a prominent lawyer,
and a businessman.33 He also helped realize Jefferson’s vision by donating $1,000 for the establishment of
an educational institution, which later became the University of Virginia.34
Jefferson and Divers’ correspondence mostly involved farming. Records show that they frequently traded
seeds. Every time Jefferson obtained new seeds from a different area, he would divide them and send
some to Divers. In fact, they traded seeds until a few weeks before Jefferson’s death. It is said that the last
batch of seeds from Jefferson to Divers were for foot-long cucumbers which had been raised in Ohio.35
Thomas Jefferson believed if someone was worthy of having these seeds, it was George Divers. They not
only enjoyed sharing seeds betwen them but also competed in an annual contest among farmers to see
who had the first crop of peas in the spring. The winner had to invite his neighbors to a celebratory dinner.
Divers was the perennial winner but a story told by Jefferson's grandson has it that one year Jefferson's crop
of peas came in first, but he kept his triumph a secret to let his friend Divers win the contest (Hatch, A Rich
Spot of Earth, p.51).
Divers, an expert in farming, produced an impressive 98 bushels of wheat on 2 acres.36 In addition, the
Jefferson-designed addition to the house was made at his request. He transformed the estate from a simple
one to one of the most elegant in the area.

33 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A History of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society. Unpublished), 22.
34 Unknown author. Diver’s Family History, (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished).
36 Lucia Stanton, Selection from documents concerning George Divers, (Unpublished, 2013), 17.
Figure 22: The deed between Francis Jerdone Jr. & George Divers
Jefferson believed octagonal-shaped rooms brought light and air into a space.37 He brought his expertise
from his early sketches as a student from the College of William and Mary to Monticello and Farmington.
The original 1802 drawings of Farmington are evidence of his design. It comprised a rectangular room with
octagonal ends, tall windows with triple sash (like the ones at Monticello) on the first floor, and nine round
windows, the sashes of which were ordered by Jefferson from London in 1792 to use at Monticello. However,
Jefferson was unable to use the round windows at Monticello and so they were used at Farmington.38 The
extension, known today as the Jefferson Room, is one of the major aspects of Farmington’s significance.
The original Jefferson room was divided into two rooms, a parlor and a dining room. Its windows opened
directly onto the floor of the porch. Its ionic cornice with griffins on the frieze was similar to that at
Monticello.
Edward Lay notes in his book, The Architecture of Jefferson County, that Jefferson probably also added a one
story passage to a service wing. Jefferson was serving as president at the time and thus unable to supervise
the construction. He was not happy with the results as the columns were not correctly proportioned and
the entablature was not finished properly.39 See Figure 17.
The name "Farmington" first appeared in a letter between Divers and Jefferson in 1802 when Divers noted
Farmington as his location. 40

37 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club, Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place, (Farmington Country Club: 2003), 15.
39 Edward K. Lay, The Architecture of Jefferson County, (University Press of Virginia, 2000), 142
40 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Digital Edition, Divers to Jefferson, 20 September 1802
Divers died on May 2nd 1830, just a year after his beloved Martha died and four years after Jefferson.41
The Divers’ only child, Thomas Jefferson Divers, died as an infant. The property, evaluated at $31,077,42
was thus divided between the George’s nephew, Isaac White, and Martha’s favorite nephew and niece,
Francis Walker Gilmer, and Lucy Gilmer (figure 23). About 72% of the property’s worth was slaves (worth
about $22,000).43 Due to the death of Francis Walker Gilmer, his share was given to his brother, Peachy
Ridgeway Gilmer. Peachy and Lucy each received 925 acres of land. Peachy received what is known as the
Ivy Creek plantation while Lucy’s share included Ballard Ridge and Ivy Creek areas. Isaac White received
the remaining 800 acres of land and the plantation house, which is approximately the size of the current
Farmington Country Club.

41 Obituary of George Divers, Thomas Jefferson Library at Monticello.
43 Ibid.
Figure 23: Map of 1830, showing the division of George Divers' land between his heirs Lucy Gilmer, Peachy Gilmer, and Isaac White.
Isaac White 1830 - 1840:
Isaac White became the sixth owner of Farmington when he inherited the land from his uncle, George
Divers. He was considered the sole owner among the other two heirs of Divers because his share of the
inheritance constituted the house and plantation at Farmington, which is regarded as the most important
part (figure 23). There is not much information about the period during which White was owner.
In 1831, he bought 720 acres near Batesville and resold the lands after two years at a profit. In 1832, he
also bought a few acres neighboring Farmington. In 1838, he bought 500 acres at an auction to add to his
inventory of land. In 1840 White traded his original ownership of 800 acres at Farmington for John Coles
Carter's 785 acres in Redlands Plantation near Carter’s Bridge. This was in southern Albemarle County and
was known as Keelona.44

John Coles Carter 1840 - 1852:
John Coles Carter was the direct descendant of Robert “King” Carter, a prominent political leader and
landowner of early colonial Virginia. John Carter was known as “Secretary” Carter because he became
secretary of the Colony of Virginia.45 He owned Farmington for 12 years.45 Unlike the architectural
improvements which were made during George Diver’s time of ownership, Carter was not concerned with
the habitation as much as maintaining the farm. Though no records show any physical improvements or
changes that he made to the house or land at Farmington, he describes it in 1847 as containing 1,300 acres
which he used as a security for a loan.47 He also patented 9,350 acres of land just south of Monticello past
the current Carter’s Bridge area. It is worth noting that Carter’s first wife, Ellen Monroe, was the great-
granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson. In 1852 Carter decided to sell the property of just over 881 acres to
General Bernard Peyton of Richmond for $30,850.97.48

45 Bernard Chamberlain, The magazine of Albemarle County history, Volume 29, (Albemarle County Historical Society, 1971), 8.
48 Ibid, 43.
Farmington - Garden Club of Virginia - Dania Khlaifat - 2019 Rudy J. Favretti Felllow
General Bernard Peyton 1852 - 1854:
Peyton was born in 1792 in Stafford County, into a notable family.49 The General was commissioned a 1st
Lieutenant in the War of 1812 and a captain in 1813. He graduated from West Point.50 Peyton was one of
the young men who had a role in helping Jefferson gather materials and workmen to build the University of
Virginia.51 Peyton was considered an “agent” for Jefferson by 1825. He was appointed Adjutant General of
Virginia, where he served for 18 years and played a significant role in the building of the Virginia Military
Institute in Lexington in 1837. Peyton was appointed Postmaster of the City of Richmond in 1841 by his
friend and political ally John Tyler. In 1817, he married Julia Green, daughter of General Moses Green of
“Liberty Hill” of Culpeper County.
Upon his retirement from his last post, he purchased Farmington on September 30th, 1852 from John
Above Coles Carter, for $30,850.97 and spent an equal amount in renovations. He added a second floor to the
Figure 24: Image of General Jefferson room, converting it from two to four rooms. He also renovated the mansion and converted the
Bernard Peyton
main north door entrance from a Federal style to its current Greek revival style columns.52

48 49 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A History of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society. Unpublished), 43-46.
50 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place, (Farmington Country Club: 2003), 22.
52 Ibid, 12.
Mrs. Peyton (Julia Green) 1854 - 1860:
Mrs. Peyton came from a long line of prominent forebears. Her father was General Moses Green of Liberty
Hall, Culpeper, Virginia, who fought in the War of 1812 just as her husband did.53 She continued to live
at Farmington for several more years after her husband’s sudden death. In 1860 she decided to sell the
property to Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper. After their initial correspondence in 1859, the property
was sold on January 1st, 1860, at $40,000 to Mary Harper. Records show that Joseph Miller, Mary Anne’s
brother, who was a wealthy British industrialist, had bought the property for his sister.54
Above
Figure 25: Mrs. Peyton (Julia
Green)

49 53 Mr. Campbell, History of the Wood Family, (Farmington Historical Society, 1973), 6.
Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper 1860 - 1877:
Mary Anne Harper came to America with her father, Joseph Miller, who was a sea-captain in the British
navy. He had come to receive help from Thomas Jefferson to recover an inheritance. Upon arrival in 1805,
they resided in Norfolk for many years. Nonetheless, they were ordered to move inland, as were many British
subjects in the Civil War. They were not welcome in an important military area such as Norfolk. They were
sent to Carleton plantation, just adjacent to Monticello, where they received a hospitable welcome. Joseph
and Jefferson shared a love of brewing.55
In 1822, Mary Anne married Robert Warner Wood, a prosperous young farmer of Landsdale in Albemarle
County.56 They met in 1820 or 1821, during one of Mary Anne’s trips with her father to Albemarle in the
brewing season. Mary and Robert had two children together, Warner (born in 1825) and Lucilla (born in
1824). After 17 years of marriage, Robert died, leaving Mary Anne a widow at the age of 37.57 Mary Anne
Above married her neighbor, Joseph Harper, a year after Robert’s death. Sadly, Joseph Harper died shortly after
Figure 26: Mrs. Harper their marriage, leaving Mary no choice but to return to Landsdale with her children.

50 55 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club, Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place, (Farmington Country Club: 2003), 23-26.
56 Mary Miller Holt, The Castle of Dreams, (Historic Associations of Farmington. 1927), 13.
Mary and her daughter Lucilla then returned to England to live with her brother Joseph. She took care of
his personal business affairs, as he was ill. She was also the mistress of Oakley House, Joseph’s mansion, and
kept busy entertaining guests such as Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, Thomas Landseer,
and many others.58
As Joseph’s health deteriorated, Mary persuaded him to return to Albemarle with her. On their return,
Julia Peyton had put the Farmington property up for sale. It was Joseph who corresponded and bought
the property for his sister, for $40,000 in 1860, bringing with him a ship-load of art treasures and 5,000
bottles of French wines.61 By 1860, Mary was living in Farmington where sufficient funds made it the new
social center of Albemarle County and her brother’s showplace. Mary was advised by Joseph to remodel
and repair the structures on the property. Farmington was about to experience its heyday.60 The changes
involved the infrastructure, decoration scheme, and the addition of a wine cellar to keep the 5,000 bottles.
Less than two months after the purchase, Joseph passed away in 1860, leaving Mary Anne a wealthy woman.
She continued to improve Farmington and showcase the estate with lavish furniture and art work. It is
recorded that Mary Anne Harper held 700 acres of improved land and 181 acres of unimproved land. Her
inventory included 23,000 pounds of tobacco, 120 pounds of wool, 20 bushels of Irish potatoes, 20 bushels
of sweet potatoes, 30 tons of hay for 10 horses, 20 sheep, 1 mule, 8 cows, 4 oxen, 200 bushels of oats, 1,400
bushels of wheat and 2,000 bushels of Indian corn. She owned 250 slaves ranging in age from 2 to 45.61
(Also found in appendix 4 and 5, on page 148-149.)

51 58 Gustavus Arnold, Farmington Country Club, retrieved from Farmington Historical Society, 1959.
59 Ibid.
60 Ibid.
61 Schedule 4 in the productions of Agriculture in Fredericksville Parish, post office of Charlottesville, 13. (also in appendix 4 and 5, page 148-149).
War was on the horizon. In March 1865, Union troops arrived at Farmington from the nearby railway. A
letter from Mrs. Harper’s lawyer, Judge Egbert Watson of Charlottesville, to his daughter read: “Poor Mrs.
Harper not only lost in horses and servants, but had her house ransacked from garret to cellar, many things
being taken or destroyed. Her pictures were spared, her wines, of course, all taken”. 62
In a letter to a friend in 1866, Mrs. Harper elaborated on her fright from the experience: "Ever since the
Yankee raid I have been feeling rather unwell and so dispirited and disinclined to do anything is another
reason I have not written. I shall never recover from the fright I had then. Dr. Nelson attended me for
many months and finally concluded I must visit the Rockbridge Alum Springs” .63 Mrs. Harper recovered
financially faster than her neighbors who had put their money in Confederate war bonds, thanks to her late
brother’s investments in Britain.
In 1870, a survey valued Farmington at $35,000 and at $109,000 with Mary Anne’s personal assets.64 Mary
Anne Harper died in 1877 at the age of 77, leaving a will that divided her property between her children
Warner and Lucilla Wood.65
Figure 27: Illustrative sketch of the main structure at Farmington.

63 Ibid.
64 Schedule 1 - Inhabitants in Fredericksville Parish, post office of Charlottesville, 78. (also in appendix 1, page 145).
Warner Wood 1877 - 1902:
The will of Mary Anne Harper was divided between her two children, Warner and Lucilla. Lucilla passed
away 9 years after her mother’s death, and Warner became the sole owner of Farmington.66 He was 52 at
the time his mother passed away in 1877, and 61 at the time his sister passed away in 1886. In 1887, He
married Margaret Lynn Woods who was 38 years his junior (23 years old).67 The couple continued making
improvements to Farmington.
One biographer called Warner Wood“the typical English squire as depicted in history and romance. He
was a man of positive convictions, absolutely sincere... upright and candid, a man devoted to his friends
and bestowing large benefactions without the knowledge even of those who were most closely allied to
Above
Figure 28: Warner Wood him. He presided over his elegant home and dispensed his hospitalities without parade or ostentation” . 68
At his death in 1902, he left everything to his wife as long as she remained a widow and never remarried.
Margaret Lynn Woods Wood was the last mistress of Farmington.

67 Albemarle County Will Book 31, (Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society), 73.
68 Bruce’s History of Warner Wood, Vol IV, (Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, 1924).
Figure 29: Map showing the land acreage of Farmington at the time Warner Wood was the owner (805 5/10 Acres).
Margaret Lynn Woods Wood 1902 - 1927:
Margaret became the sole owner of Farmington upon her husband Warner Wood's death in 1902. She
continued to live there for a quarter of a century, as the dowager of Farmington. She was 38 years of age,
with 5 children (4 sons and one daughter) ranging in age from 5 to 14.69
In 1927, all but two of her children having left the area, Mrs. Wood decided to sell Farmington to a group
of businessmen who were planning to form a new country club. The asking price of the property was
$200,000, but Mrs. Wood made a significant discount and sold it at $100,000.70 The sale was finalized in
1927.
Above Throughout her life at Farmington, Margaret Wood established a reputation as an excellent hostess and
Figure 30: Margaret Lynn
a charitable person. In 1906, the Charlottesville Daily Progress reported on a benefit for the mountain
Woods Wood
missions of St. Paul's Church, Ivy:
“...this is not the first time that the charming hostess of ‘Farmington’ has thrown open her hospitable
doors for a benefit; and people flock there on such occasions, feeling assured that they will be delightfully
entertained." 71
After the sale of Farmington, Mrs. Wood lived briefly at the Raleigh Court Apartments on University Circle
in Charlottesville. In September 1929, her friends gave a tea in her honor at what had become Farmington
Country Club. The last known of Mrs. Wood is that she resided with her daughter Mary Miller Wood Holt
in Salt Lake City.72 Mary Holt used the pen name Margo Maxwell to write an account of her mother in
1927, with the title of ‘The Castle of Dreams’, and another in 1971 with the title of ‘The House That Lost Its
Soul’.73

70 Ibid, 30.
73 Mary Miller Holt, The Castle of Dreams, (Historic Associations of Farmington, 1927), 9.
Evidence in the account of Mary Holt, along with other accounts are used to recreate a picture of the
gardens of Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper, her grandmother. “We stopped the car at the end of a long
brick walk. From there we could see the front of Farmington, a little flower garden and corridor about one
hundred and fifty feet long. Leaving the machine, we walked up the brick walk to the portico, which is
fifty feet long, proportionately wide and of stately height, the floor of black and white marble and the roof
supported by beautiful white Doric columns”. 75
In her narrative, Mrs. Holt described the entry to Farmington:“We stopped the car at the end of a long
brick walk.” This suggests that the drive did not extend closer to the house than the end of a “long brick
walk” which as she described as 50 feet long. While we might assume that the walk extended straight to the
front of the house, the passage does not explicitly explain if it is straight or curved. From her description, it
seems the entry to the house was through the Jefferson Room. The following image (figure 31) gives a better
idea as to how the entry would have been at the time of Mrs. Harper. This does suggest that the arrival to
the house was through the front (the Jefferson Room) by a “long brick walk” and not by the vehicular drop
off which exists now, and which almost certainly was a part of the country-club remodeling.
She also noted a small flower garden and a corridor of about one hundred and fifty feet. The corridor must
be the colonnade of offices which exists in Farmington today. She also added that Mrs. Harper’s “brother
bought the place and two hundred and fifty slaves and gave it and them to her, saying, ‘Dear little sister,
your dream has come true’”.76 She continued, “I was introduced to old former slaves, the sole survivors of
the two hundred and fifty presented to Mrs. Harper by her brother when he bought Farmington”.77

75 Ibid.
76 Ibid.
77 Ibid.
Figure 31: Presence of a car suggests the former entry-way to Farmington (a straight path).
Farmington Country Club 1927 - Present :
Several years before Margaret Lynn Woods Wood decided to sell Farmington, entrepreneur and real-estate
developer Donald Stevens had the idea of creating a social club. With the help of 16 of Charlottesville’s
prominent residents, who purchased life-long memberships, the capital for starting a social club became
available. The memberships ranged in price from $2,500 to $5,000.78
The idea of the club focused on creating a new golf course. At the time, the Albemarle Golf Club was
struggling with its Meade Avenue course, which was experiencing periodic floods. The selling price for
Farmington was $200,000 yet the property was purchased for $100,000.79 Since the Wood family received
many offers, the estate attorney and descendant of the Wood family, David Wood, thought it would be
best to sell it for a good cause, for the benefits that golf courses and a country club would have on the
community and the state’s progressive movement. David noted “the many benefits to be derived by the
Above
Figure 32: Farmington’s community in having such a Golf and Country Club and other features which will mean so much toward
published book of history, Charlottesville’s taking her rightful place in the state’s progressive movement”.80
chain of title, and its by-laws.
Following a meeting at the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce, the deal was completed on July 20th,
1927. It included creating a social club, a golf course, a two-mile steeplechase course, and a hunt club.
Stevens' vision was to continue with a large hotel and an airport nearby to the club.81 The hotel did not
become realized, but the airport, Wood Field, became Charlottesville’s first commercial airfield. With the
new appointed members and presidents, renovations began to take place. The house was to become the
main clubhouse. Later additions were made by architect Edmund Campbell, who designed a ballroom and
a dining porch to the west of the main house.

79 Ibid.
80 Ibid.
81 Ibid.
Figure 33: Map of Farmington, created by Donald Stevens in 1930.
The second floor of the house and the dependency wing (except its lower floor) were turned into guestrooms.
The old stables were turned into the men’s locker rooms, the golfer’s lounge, and the golf shop. The manager’s
house was designed by architect Marshall Wells, a former student of Campbell’s. In 1930 Campbell designed
a wing of additional guestrooms known as the “pool gallery”, a replicate of Jefferson’s original gallery. The
guestrooms were of great success and profitability to the club in the years of the Depression. The swimming
pool was also an addition of 1930. Campbell added a west extension to the house, which included 10 new
bedrooms, the Pine Room, and the Terrace Room. The south gallery was a later addition, which took place
between the years 1936 and 1939.82
Two other significant names in the new era of Farmington were Ray Loving and Fred Findlay. As part of the
original promise by Donald Stevens to the golfers, Loving began construction of a golf course in 1927, before
the club opened its doors. By the time it was complete, he had become the general manager of Farmington.
The course was designed by Loving’s father-in-law, Fred Findlay, a professional golf course architect, to
Above reflect the rolling terrain of Farmington and its magnificent views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.83
Figure 34: Fred Findlay
In 1928, architect Earle Sumner Draper created his own vision of Farmington as a pastoral, serene landscape.
In his design, the roads meander with the topography. However, it was Donald Stevens’ masterplan that
was implemented, perhaps to cut down on costs in the Depression. Nonetheless, Draper’s design of a
steeplechase was carried out and remained in use until 1965, when it was replaced by the East Nine golf
course.84

83 Ibid.
84 Ibid, 35-36.
Figure 35: General map of Farmington, created by Earle Sumner Draper in 1928.
An interesting addition was Ray Loving’s idea of planting a row of cedar trees along Farmington Drive,
the entrance to the club. Figures 36 and 37 show how much the trees have grown since. Loving was also
responsible for the building of two red clay tennis courts. Another round of improvements took place
between the 1940s and 1950s. The process of improvements began in 1946 with the addition of 4 new
tennis courts. Johnson, Craven, and Gibson, an architectural firm, solved the problem of entry to the club
house by adding a front entry and offices just south of the Jefferson Room.85
With the renovations which ensured the intactness of Farmington’s historic character, the club received
recognition for its history and preservation efforts when it was included on the Virginia Landmarks Register
and nominated to the National Register in 1970. Improvements continued in the 1960s, expanding the
swimming pool facilities and the East Nine golf course. In the 1970s, Farmington witnessed an increase
in the demand for tennis courts. Two new hard tennis courts and 2 clay courts (resurfaced with Har-tru)
were added, bringing the total number of tennis courts to 12. The additions continued when in 1983, four
new tennis courts were built across Tennis Road, just south of the primary courts. The new total of tennis
courts was then 15 until 3 paddle courts were added.86
In 2002, a new set of improvements were made by VMDO, a Charlottesville architectural firm. These
significant changes constituted the addition of a new state-of-the-art Fitness Center, which included a
ladies' locker room and a Grill dining room (replacing the old Tap Room).

86 Ibid, 37.
Figure 36: The cedar trees planted along Farmington Drive, 1934. Figure 37: The cedar trees along Farmington Drive, 2019.
Figure 38: Aerial image of Farmington Country Club, its tennis courts and pool.
66
Farmington - Garden Club of Virginia - Dania Khlaifat - 2019 Rudy J. Favretti

Chapter 3
67 Opposite
Figure 39: Cedar trees along Farmington Drive.
The Development of Farmington
From 1735 to the present day, Farmington has changed dramatically.87 Most of Farmington's recorded
history explores its structural elements such as its main house, icehouse, slave cabins, and its renovations.
Historians have rarely focused on the way the plantation landscape changed through the different time
periods of its different owners. This chapter aims to focus on the those changes.
Michael Holland is believed to have made little or no improvements to Farmington, but since this was a part
of the requirement of fulfilling his patent, it is believed that he ordered a crude cabin to be built, increasing
his land from 4,356 acres to 4,753 (figure 44).88 Holland then sold the land to Charles Lewis of Goochland
County, who also is believed to have made no efforts to improve the land. He sold it to Francis Jerdone for
1,000 Virginia pounds and an exchange of land along the James River.89 Farmington’s third owner, Francis
Jerdone is associated with constructing a mill and a large pond. His inventory which included 49 slaves
and an abundance of cattle, alludes to the existence of a large agricultural operation.90 Some sources also
associate him with constructing the first significant structure at Farmington, its house.91
At his death, Francis Jerdone Jr. inherited the land. His efforts to improve it were hampered by the
Revolutionary War and the confiscation of his land, as he was believed to be a Tory. His inventory contained
53 slaves and some cattle. It is important to note that only 3,421 acres remained in Jerdone Jr. ’s possession
by the time the sale to George Divers was finalized.92 (see appendix 8 and 9, pages 150-151).
68 Chapter 3 - The Development of Farmington

87 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A History of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society. Unpublished), 2. 91 Michigan Society of Architects, monthly bulletin. Dec. 1958 issue, 58.
88 Ibid,1. 92 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A History of the Farmington Plantation,
89 Ibid, 2. (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished), 13.
90 Ibid, 11-12.
Figure 40: Major developments at Farmington across the time-line of different owners.
The improvements in George Divers’ time period are regarded as the most significant for the impact they
left on Farmington. Such improvements included an addition to the house designed by Thomas Jefferson
known as the Jefferson Room. The original drawings of Jefferson’s design for Farmington date back to 1802,
and can be seen in figure 42 & 43 (page 72). This Jeffersonian architecture of the house merited Farmington
a designation on the National Register of Historic Places and on the Virginia Landmark Register in 1970.93
The original Jefferson Room (as seen in figure 42) was divided into two rooms, a parlor, and a dining room
and its windows opened directly on the floor of the porch. The cornice within the Jefferson Room enjoyed
an ionic cornice with griffins within the frieze identical to that in Monticello.
As described in the previous chapter, Jefferson probably also designed a gallery of rooms as an extension to
the house. It was a one story structure, 25 feet wide and 100 feet long, also equal to the size of Monticello’s
wing. The passage connected the house to the existing service wing95. Figure 17 documents the phases of
construction.
On another note, George Divers was an excellent farmer and miller, who is credited for his noteworthy
efforts in improving the plantation (this will be explored further in this chapter). And by the time Divers’
land was divided between his three heirs, his nephew Isaac White and Martha Divers’ favorite niece and
nephew Lucy and Peachy Gilmer, only 2,845 acres was in his possession (evident in the map of the division
of Divers’ land as seen in figure 23, page 45).

93 Nomination Form, retrieved from Virginia Department of Historic Resources, 1970.
94 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club, Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place, (Farmington Country Club: 2003), 32-33.
95 Edward K. Lay, The Architecture of Jefferson County, (University of Virginia Press, 2000), 142.
Figure 41: The changes in land-plot size at Farmington across the time-line of different owners.
Figure 42: Original sketch of the plan of the Jeffersonian addition at Farmington. Figure 43: Original sketch of the facade of the Jeffersonian addition at Farmington.
The area of the plantation changed drastically from Divers’ 2,845 acres to White’s 800 acres. Not much is
known about the period at which White was owner. White traded his land with John Carter Coles for 785
acres in Redlands Plantation.96 The time period at which Coles owned the land is also obscure. He is said
to have used the land as a security for a loan and was concerned with keeping up the farm, but no records
show any physical improvements or changes that he made to the house or land. By the time Coles sold the
property to General Bernard Peyton, 881 acres of the land remained.97
Peyton bought the property from Carter in 1852 for $30,850.97 and spent an equal amount in renovations.98
He is credited for the “completion” of Farmington. His efforts included adding a second floor to the Jefferson
room, and converting it from two to four rooms. He is also believed to have renovated the mansion and
converted the main north door entrance from a Federal style to its current Greek revival style columns.
After the death of her husband, Mrs. Peyton continued to live at Farmington for several more years. She
sold it in 1860 to Joseph Miller, who bought the property for his sister Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper
for $40,000. Some of Mrs. Harper's efforts in renovating the house included an addition of a wine cellar,
improving the infrastructure, improving the decoration of the house, and the addition of lavish furniture
and works of art. During her ownership she managed to improve 700 acres of land. Her inventory included
23,000 pounds of Tobacco, 250 slaves, and many animals. A survey carried out in 1870 valued Farmington
at $35,000.99 She is also credited with designing a boxwood garden.

97 Ibid, 43.
98 Ibid, 12.
99 Schedule 1 - Inhabitants in Fredericksville Parish, post office of Charlottesville, 78 (also in appendix 1, page 145).
When Mary Anne Harper died, her inheritance was divided between her children, Warner & Lucilla Wood.
The property was valued at $40,000 during their ownership.100 Warner became the sole owner when his
sister Lucilla died 9 years after her mother. Warner was responsible for a brick addition to the rear end of
the house with two chimneys. It is said he also replaced the tiles of the house and portico.
Juxtaposing the maps of Holland, Divers, and Wood (Figure 44) shows how the area of Farmington
diminished over the years. The size of Farmington decreased from 4,365 acres to 881 acres, but its reputation
for social life remained the same. The last owner prior to the formation of Farmington Country Club was
Margaret Lynn Woods Wood, who continued the high social life that Farmington was accustomed to and
collected extravagant furniture, paintings, and china.
Since Donald Stevens initiated the idea of creating a country club in 1927, the landscape of Farmington
has changed dramatically. The fabric of new Farmington included a renovation and additions to the house
(figure 45). It also included the construction of tennis courts, golf courses, a two-mile steeplechase course,
and a hunt club. The additions included guestrooms, a golfer’s lounge, a golf shop, as well as a pool and a
pool gallery. Another set of improvements took place in 2002 (as discussed earlier in the chapter), which
included an addition of a ladies' locker room, a fitness center, and a grill.

George Divers 2,845 acres Warner Wood 881 acres
Farmington now
Michael Holland 4,365 acres
Figure 44: Illustration of the change in Farmington’s size from Michael Holland to Warner Wood to George Divers.
Figure 45: Image showing the original structures at Farmington in dark red and the additions in light red.
Farmington
Country
Club
Tennis courts
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 46: The structures at Farmington, post additions.
Analysis of the Farmington Landscape
Studies of Farmington have chiefly focused on the significance of its plantation house of Jeffersonian
style. While the house deserves attention, the associated history of the landscape has been neglected.
Many of the recent findings have focused on analyzing specific structural elements, such as the main
house, the icehouse and the slave quarters. None have expanded on the spatial composition of the
landscape.
This chapter focuses on revealing the evolution of the plantation landscape through concrete written
records, analysis and reasoning. As George Divers and Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper each owned
Farmington for notable periods of time and endeavored to improve the plantation, they will be the focus
of the next part of the chapter.
78 Chapter 3 - Analysis of the Farmington Landscape
George Divers’ time period 1785-1830
George Divers is considered to be the first significant inhabitant of Farmington. He is associated with the
famous addition to the house designed by his good friend Thomas Jefferson. His friendship with Jefferson
also possibly influenced his plantation at Farmington and would be an interesting area for further study.
The name Farmington first appeared in 1802 in a letter from Divers to Jefferson, in which Divers noted it
as his location when writing the letter.101 Divers also influenced the naming of the Speed family’s home,
Farmington of Kentucky. He was one of the wealthiest residents of Albemarle. He was a well-recognized,
zealous farmer, a miller, and a lawyer.102 Many of his plants such as tomatoes, black-eyed peas, parsnips,
apple trees, and many others, were added to the great collection in Jefferson’s garden at Monticello. His
gardens of unique novelties served as a seed bank to many of his friends, including Thomas Jefferson and
Governor Barbour.103 Divers owned Farmington for the longest time period of any owner, 45 years. For
these reasons, exploring the historical Farmington landscape at the time of George Divers might bring
forth discoveries of the old plantation.

101 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Digital Edition, Divers to Jefferson, 20 September 1802
103 Peter Hatch, A Rich Spot of Earth, (Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation: 2012), 51.
Divers and Jefferson shared seeds, competed to grow peas and shared advice on the right still size. On May
24th 1807 Jefferson wrote to Divers saying: “We had strawberries yesterday. When had you them? No peas
here yet. I salute with friendship & respect”.104 To which Divers replied on June 6th 1807: “We had peas on
the 17th May, 14 days later than last year, you had strawberries 10 days before us…” 105 Isaac A. Coles also
remarked on May 13th 1807: “Divers had peas big enough to eat”. 106 The first to produce peas held a dinner
to celebrate his success of the crop with friends. On June 1st 1815 Jefferson wrote to Elizabeth Trist: “Your
friends Mr. & Mrs. Divers are in as good health as usual. I dined with them on peas the 29th of April. Here
our first peas were the 29th of May, which shows the inattention here to the cheapest, pleasantest, & most
wholesome part of comfortable living”. 107
They also shared other seeds between each other. In a letter written on September 29th 1807 Jefferson
wrote to Divers: “I received the enclosed grass seed. & letter from a Mr. Willis of whom, or whose place of
residence I know nothing. The character he gives of the grass is such as to make it worthy an experiment.
But my vagrant life renders it impracticable with me, knowing nobody more likely to give it a fair trial than
yourself, I confide it to your care if you think it worthy of it…” 108 In his letter, Jefferson’s trust of Divers
is evident, in which he knows no one more likely to make a successful crop out of the seeds he sent than
Divers. In another letter, Jefferson asked for seeds from Divers. He wrote on March 18th 1811 saying: “The
ground I have prepared for grass along a branch, is, in several spots; too dry for timothy, and especially
where we run a little up the foot of the hill. It is moreover a red soil; thinking it will be better to put these
spots into Oat-grass if you can spare me a little seed of that, I shall be thankful for it. It will serve as a
commencement to raise seed from, as I wish to go a good deal into that kind of grass. The bearer brings
your clover box, which was ready within an hour after your servant left us.” He also wrote to Elizabeth Trist
on March 24th 1809: “I intend to see you at Mr. Divers as soon as my garden & other new concerns will
admit. I come to him as a pauper, begging for the garden” .109
Chapter 3 - Analysis of the Farmington Landscape

104 Jefferson Papers, From Thomas Jefferson to George Divers, 24 May 1807, Founders Online, National Archives, accessed September 29, 2019, https://founders.
archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-5625.
105 Jefferson Papers, To Thomas Jefferson from George Divers, 6 June 1807, Founders Online, National Archives, accessed September 29, 2019, https://founders.
archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-5704.
106 Stanton Lucia, Selection from documents concerning George Divers, (Unpublished, 2013), 5.
80 107 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 8, 1 October 1814 to 31 August 1815, ed. J. Jefferson Looney, (Princeton: Princeton University Press,
2011), 515–517.
108 Jefferson Papers, From Thomas Jefferson to George Divers, 29 September 1807, Founders Online, National Archives, accessed September 29, 2019, https://
founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-6461.
109 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 3, 12 August 1810 to 17 June 1811, ed. J. Jefferson Looney, (Princeton: Princeton University Press,
2006), 460–461.
Divers shared his seeds not only with Jefferson, but also with other friends, such as Governor Barbour who
wrote on March 17th 1812: “Planted as follows… 6 Spitzenbgs from Mr. Divers… 6 choice pears from Mr.
Divers”.110
Divers was also very knowledgeable about stills. On Nov. 26th 1792 Thomas Jefferson sought his advice in
buying a still: “As I propose to purchase a still here for the use of my plantations, and understand there is a
good deal in the size, proportion and number of the vessels, I take the liberty of requesting you to inform
me what particulars I had better provide. I make this appeal [to] you the rather, as you can judge of the
extent and manner in which I am to carry on the business, proposing nothing more than the distillation of
my own grain and fruit. Your answer by post will oblige me. You will have seen that a large foreign demand
for our flour has suddenly sprung up. This has started the price here to a dollar, and it will be higher. Even
England as well as France, Portugal, Spain, and Italy will be obliged to receive it. Tobacco is low. Probably
however the shortness of the late crop will raise it. My respect to Mrs. Divers & best affections to all my
neighbors & am Dear Sir your friend &servant”. 111
To which George Divers replied on Jan 1st 1793: “I have been favored with yours of the 26th Nov. I would
advise you to purchase One Still that will work 85 one of 45 and a Copper Kettle of Sixty Gallons. With
these Stills and Boiler you may make from 70 to 80 Gallons of whisky week and feed 60 to 70 hogs. The
feeding that number of hogs will be an object to you as it will save a considerable quantity of Indian Corn,
from which consideration I have been induced to recommend it to you to purchase Stills of the above size,
that you may be able to keep them at work for 7 months in the year in which time they will distill about 900
bushels of grain. If you wish to carry on the business to a greater extent you can add 10 or 15 Galls to each
still but I would not exceed 100 Galls for 4 large or 70 Galls for the small one. A pewter worm is better than
Copper. I’m sorry to hear that wheat and flour is not in demand to the Northward hope it will be higher in
the spring”. 112

111 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 24, 1 June–31 December 1792, ed. John Catanzariti, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990), 663.
112 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 25, 1 January–10 May 1793, ed. John Catanzariti, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992), 3-4.
81
On a similar note, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Thomas Mann Randolph on Jan 11th 1796: “I went on
Saturday [Jan. 9th] with Divers to see Mr. Meriwether’s machine thresh… both Divers & myself were
however well satisfied with Mr. Meriwether’s. he will build on the same model; but I am for trying the
treble”. 113 This account expresses Divers' and Jefferson’s interest in a machine thresh which they ordered
from Mr. Meriwether for their plantations.
Another account is by Hugh Holmes, who wrote to Jefferson on March 10th 1819: “This days mail brought
me your favor of the 4 th inst. On the subject of the corn shelling machine – I had anticipated your wishes
last fall in a few days after I had the pleasure of seeing you at Monticello by ordering ten of these machines
to be made and sent to Charlottesville to the care of Mr. Kelly – one for yourself, for Colo Randolph,
Governor Barbour and Mr. Divers one each”. 11409 In his account, Holmes mentions the ordering of ten corn
shelling machines of which Jefferson and Divers were some of the buyers.
Divers was not only interested in shelling machines, machine threshes, and stills, but also enjoyed his
carriages. On June 17th 1792 James Monroe wrote to Thomas Jefferson expressing Divers’ wish for Jefferson
to overlook the completion of his carriage. “We wish it a post chariot, light, strong and neat and modified
as you think fit. Divers has sent forward the money to pay for his [chariot being made in Phila]. I informed
him you were so obliging as to superintend its completion” 115 Elizabeth Trist also wrote to Emma Walker
Gilmer on October 15th 1819, mentioning Divers’ carriage: “Uncle Divers sent the carriage for us last week
we had the pleasure to find them well Grapes and figs in abundance we stayed three days”. 116

82 113 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 28, 1 January 1794 – 29 February 1796, ed. John Catanzariti, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000),
579-580.
114 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 14, 1 February - 31 August 1819, ed. J. Jefferson Looney, (Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press,
2017), 118.
116 Ibid, 15.
Additionally, Divers was justifiably celebrated for his hospitality. Thomas Jefferson wrote to Elizabeth Trist
on March 24th 1809: “ I intend to see you at Mr. Divers’ as soon as my garden & other new concerns will
admit” 117
On July 2nd 1818 Thomas Jefferson asked George Divers for dinner and a bed to spend the night before he
continued his journey to Rockfish Gap: “I have been intending in some of my college visits to go on and
ask a dinner of you, but latterly my daily rides have been in the opposite direction to explore a slate quarry
a mile or two below Milton. Why our family has not been to see yours cannot be said but for the lazy reason
of never doing to-day what can be put off to tomorrow. I set out for Bedford tomorrow, and shall return
just in time for the meeting of Aug. 1 at Rockfish gap. The roughness of the road will induce me to prefer
a horse, and as it is too far for me to ride in one day I propose on the Thursday proceeding to ask a dinner
& bed of you, which will enable me to get to the gap on Friday evening, our meeting being for Saturday
Mr. Madison will be with me, and probably judge Roane & Mr. Tazewell [….]hat we shall lumber you up
pretty well for an evening. Affectionately yours”. 118 An account by James Madison written on Aug. 4-5th
1818, to James Monroe confirms that Jefferson and Madison also stopped at Farmington on their way back
from their trip.
James Madison also affirmed their stop to Dolley Madison, in a letter written on July 30th 1818. “We set out
this forenoon for Mr. Divers, with whom we shall dine & pass the night, and tomorrow morning proceed for
Rockfish Gap”. 119 On April 22nd 1819 Elizabeth Trist wrote to Nicholas P. Trist: “I hope to be at Monticello
in the course of next month tho. I am very comfortable here Mr. Divers is better tho. procrastinates his
recovery by staying too long in his Garden the ground is damp but he is naturally industrious and rather
too worldly minded for a man of his fortune, but habit for he made his fortune, has rendered it so familiar
that he can not withstand the temptation for employment out of doors he must see into all his concerns,
and Martha is careful of many things, everything is conducted with ease, ...

83 117 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 3, 12 August 1810 to 17 June 1811, ed. J. Jefferson Looney, (Princeton: Princeton University Press,
2006), 460–461.
118 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 13, 22 April 1818 to 31 January 1819, ed. J. Jefferson Looney, (Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 2016), 117.
119 The Papers of James Madison, Retirement Series, vol. 1, 4 March 1817 – 31 January 1820, ed. David B. Mattern, J. C. A. Stagg, Mary Parke Johnson, and
Anne Mandeville Colony, (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009), 319.
no scolding no punishments going forward, tho. they have so many about the establishment frugality
and perseverance industrious habits are sure to lead to independence if not to wealth, I hope yourself and
brother may pursue the same plan your grandfather Trist if living would have been an example worthy
of imitation”. 120 Elizabeth Trist’s account reported Divers’ ability to welcome guests, such as herself, even
when he was still recovering from bad health. It is also evident in her letter that he is an industrious, hard-
working man in his gardens, and a man of wealth and fortune. Ms. Trist also wrote to Jefferson on March
22nd 1809, from Farmington saying that she had been stationary since the 16th of October and “though we
have had a most unpleasant Winter I have been very tranquil and comfortable thanks to the kindness and
hospitality of Mr. & Mrs. Divers” 121
Another frequent visitor was Martha Jefferson Randolph, who would spend many days at Farmington. On
Feb 8th 1799 she wrote to Thomas Jefferson: “After your departure we spent ten days with Mrs. Divers, Carr,
Trist, during which time I went to a ball in Charlottesville, danced at it and returned home fatigued and
unwell to prepare for our return to Bellmont…” 122 Other frequent visitors were John and Peachy Gilmer. In
his autobiography, Peachy confessed being too distracted in his studies by the social life which Farmington
offered. Thomas Mann Randolph, Peter Carr, Dabney Carr, Dr. Bache, Mr. Wirt, Mr. Jefferson, Col. Monroe,
Mr. G. Divers, Col. Wilson Nicholas, and Meriwether Lewis were recipients of Divers' hospitality.123

120 Family Letters, Elizabeth Trist to Nicholas P. Trist, April 22, 1819, Library of Congress, Washington DC (DLC), Retrieved from: http://tjrs.monticello.org/
84 letter/1502.
121 The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 1, 4 March 1809 to 15 November 1809, ed. J. Jefferson Looney, (Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 2004), 73-74.
122 Barbara B. Oberg and J. Jefferson Looney, eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition, Retrieved from: https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/
Letter from Martha Jefferson Randolph to Thomas_Jefferson February 8 1799, (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, Rotunda, 2008).
In his diary, John H. Cocke wrote on May 6th 1817: “the weather promising rain – returned to Charlottesville
by appointment to meet my friend P. Minor and visit Mr. Divers found him in low health – probably near
his end – society will lose in this gentleman one of the most useful, practical, & engaging men that I have
ever known – he possesses in rarest degree the executive faculty – he undertakes nothing that is not well
done – but he is now far advanced in life and has imposed heavily upon his constitution in the indulgence
of a luxurious appetite – I expected to have found him directing his thoughts to the concerns of another
world. But I fear his mind has not yet taken that course”. 124 He also wrote on Aug. 26th 1818: “Reached Mr.
Divers in the evening. From whom as usual I got much”. 125

85 125 Ibid, 13.
Three well-nurtured gardens
An important piece of evidence to explore is an account by Judith Walker Rives, George Divers' niece. She
described in her autobiography the plantation at Farmington as having stables, three equally well-nurtured
gardens, high brick walls, and the production of every fruit and flower:
“Indeed it was said of the establishment of Mr. Divers, that everybody about it was fat except its owner.
His horses luxuriated in their comfortable stables – the cows looked happy and contented – the humblest
of domestic brood acknowledged his thoughtful care. The gardens, of which he had three equally well
nurtured, produced every fruit and flower that a temperate clime can bestow in rare perfection, and high
brick walls fostered many that might have perished in a less genial situation. On all this he plumed himself,
and the nearest road to his heart was through his pet gardens…” 126
This subsection is an exploration to find the location of the three gardens at the time of George Divers’
ownership of Farmington. The juxtaposition of Earle Sumner Draper’s (1928 map) and Donald Stevens’
(1930 map) master plans for the subdivision of Farmington show two different visions and begin to reveal
a hidden story. While Draper desired a more pastoral ideal for Farmington, as shown in his design of
meandering roads (shown in red in figure 47), it was Stevens’ plan that was carried out with a more formal
design for the roads (shown in blue in figure 47). Perhaps in 1927, the management at Farmington were
inclined to cut down on costs, as they were faced with the Great Depression.127

126 Judith Page Rives, Autobiography written for her grandchildren, ACHS MS-424.6. (Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, Unpublished), 42.
127 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club Extraordinary people in a remarkable place, (Farmington Country Club: 2003), 33.
Figure 47: Juxtaposition of Earle Sumner Draper’s map (shown in red) with Donald Stevens’ map (shown in blue).
Nonetheless, the following enlarged images of the maps show that although Stevens’ design for the tennis
courts was for only two (figure 48) in comparison to Drapers’ design for five (figure 49), they had a similar
intuition to install the tennis courts in the same location.
This observation opens speculations as to why both visionaries and real-estate developers reckoned this
location to be ideal for tennis courts. Was the land flat? Was it the most feasible location to build the tennis
courts? Did it necessitate the least amount of construction?
An account by William F. O’ Dell describes the buttresses of Farmington: “The purpose of the buttresses
is to support the adjacent wall which was initially constructed so that a vegetable and fruit garden could
be planted within a completely walled area (now occupied by a boxwood garden in back toward the tennis
courts). Three of the four original walls still stand: north, east (buttressed) and west. A few of the fig trees
of early days are still growing near the inner side of the west wall-across from the tennis courts.” 128 He
also adds: “The wide brick steps leading to the buttressed passage way were added by the Farmington
Country Club. The small gate-like door at the foot of these steps originally led to a carriage circle, where
the swimming pools are today”. 129
From his description, it becomes clearer that a vegetable and fruit garden were planted in a completely
walled area, and were replaced and occupied by a boxwood garden at the time of the account (which will
be explored further in this subsection) as well as by tennis courts. He also describes the existence of fig
trees growing near the inner side of the west wall-across from the tennis courts, as well as a carriage-circle
which existed in place of the swimming pools. O’ Dell’s description confirms Judith’s earlier narrative
about Divers’ brick walls. It also suggests that the vegetable and fruit garden extended from what was the
boxwood garden at the time, back towards the tennis courts.

128 William F. O’Dell, The Farmington Walking Tour, ACHS MS- 424.6, (Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, Unpublished), 16.
129 Ibid.
Figure 48: Donald Steven’s design for the subdivision of Farmington (1930). Figure 49: Earle Sumner Draper’s design for the subdivision of Farmington (1928).
Additionally, an account by the daughter of Margaret Wood, Mary Holt, who wrote under the pen name
of Margo Maxwell “The house that lost its soul, A story of Farmington”, affirms the existence of gardens
in place of the tennis courts. Although her description alludes to a more recent owner (Mrs. Wood), it is
nonetheless an indispensable piece of information. Holt narrated: “The garden with its beautiful soft grassy
walks like the gardens in England has been torn up and part of it made into tennis courts”. 130
Perhaps the gardens which Holt described had existed since George Divers’ time period, and perhaps
Mrs. Harper continued to grow her crops in the same location of the excellent farmer and miller, Divers.
However, to have a more concrete argument, other analysis must be carried out to support this theory.
Studying the following aerial of 1937 (figure 52), one begins to notice the formation of lines in the form
of trees in the landscape. According to Bernard McMahon, a garden influencer at the time, trees were
sometimes used as an edge or a fence. He suggests that if trees are to be used as a board fence or palings
then they are to be closely joined, edge to edge, forming a plane or even surface.131 In the aerial (figure 53)
is an observation of trees forming lines in the landscape, which together form a surface, an area, or a field.
They are plausibly remnant trees of old fence lines, which together form areas in the landscape.
Given that the current search is to find the three well-nurtured gardens which Judith described earlier, a
focus will be given on exploring the area around the house at Farmington (as shown with a yellow square
in figure 53), as it is a more reasonable location for gardens of pleasure and prestige. The yellow square
measures 660 feet by 660 feet and its area is 10 acres. The Colonial land measurement system was based
on poles and many properties were surveyed as 10-acre squares. A surveyor's tool, the Gunter's chain,
included 100 links and measured 66 feet or 4 poles, hence 10 spans of this chain measured 660 feet. In
America, a shorter chain of 33 feet divided into 50 links was a more typical variation.

130 Mary Miller Holt, The House That Lost Its Soul (Stephen Philip Holt, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1971), 24.
131 Bernard McMahon, American Gardener’s Calendar (Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation,1806), 111.
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 50: Master plan of Farmington - 1969, showing the built structures, tennis courts, and boxwood garden.
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 51: Master plan of Farmington showing the built structures as of 2019 (orange), superimposed over 1969 map (in blue) shows the boxwood garden’s former location (in green).
Figure 53: Trees form lines in the landscape in the aerial view of Farmington, 1937.
Figure 52: Aerial view of Farmington, 1937.
While it is nearly impossible to know what influenced Divers’ design of his three gardens, it is sound to
assume that Thomas Jefferson was one of his great influencers and advisors on matters of the gardens.
John Hartwell Cocke wrote to Thomas Jefferson on September 29th 1810: “I have taken the liberty, to
send your care a Book for Mr. Divers”.132 Perhaps he sent him Bernard McMahon’s book “The American
Gardener’s Calender.” An inventory of Cocke’s library shows that he owned “The American Gardener’s
Calendar”, Bernard McMahon’s 1806 book, “Treatise on the Culture and Management of Fruit Trees” by
William Forsyth published in 1802, “Treatise on practical surveying” by Robert Gibson published in 1803,
and “Gleanings from the most celebrated books on husbandry, Gardening, and Rural affairs” by J.B. Bordley
and James Humphreys published in 1803.133
While it is uncertain which book Cocke sent to Divers, McMahon’s book was certainly used by Jefferson as
his “bible”. Jefferson followed McMahon’s recommendations: a geometric grid, parallel to the house, with
squares, beds, and walkways.134 Jefferson’s garden was two acres divided into 24 “squares” or growing plots,
with rows of vegetables running south through north (technically northwest to southeast). It is reasonable
to assume that Divers too was influenced by McMahon.

132 Lucia Stanton, Selection from documents concerning George Divers (Unpublished, 2013), 7.
133 Brooke Whiting, Bremo: List of books in John Hartwell Cocke’s library (Garden Club of Virginia, 2000), 29-31.
660’
330’
330’
660’
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 54: Dimensions of the surface formed by the lines of trees in the landscape.
In his book of 1806, McMahon recommended that the typical kitchen gardens have as a theme a “Main
walk” with adjacent cultivated “squares of vegetables”. The squares have “large principal” crops: beans,
cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, artichokes, lettuce, etc.135 Many planters used the term “square” as a sizable
garden compartment and designed their gardens with basic geometry.136 Peter Martin, a garden historian
of “The Pleasure Gardens of Virginia”, concluded that “planters who could afford to go in for ambitious
landscape schemes generally did not abandon the central motif of a large rectangular, rigidly fenced, and
symmetrically planted enclosure lined up axially with the house. From Bacon’s Castle to Carter’s Grove,
that was the pattern”. 137
This geometricity or “quarters” was based on the universal four-square medieval garden. According to
Peter Hatch, longtime director at Monticello, “All Virginian kitchen garden plantations were based on
the same arrangement”. 138 McMahon stated that “The ground must be divided into compartments for
regularity and convenience. A border must be carried round, close to the boundary-walls or fences, not less
than five… feet wide, the better, both for raising various early and other kitchen crops…Next to this border
a walk should be continued also all-round the garden…then proceed to divide the interior parts into two,
four, or more principal divisions and walks… a straight walk should run directly through the middle of the
garden; and another if thought necessary, may be directed across the ground, intersecting the first”. 139 He
also insisted on neatly formed, firm, and straight edged walks. He emphasized borders for small fruits and
early vegetables, noting that at least in smaller kitchen gardens in America, quarters or squares were edged
with boxwood or hardy herbs like thyme and savory.

135 Bernard McMahon, American Gardener’s Calendar (Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation,1806), 103-105.
136 Peter Hatch, A Rich Spot of Earth (Yale University Press, 2012), 76.
137 Peter Martin, Pleasure Gardens of Virginia (Princeton University Press, 1991), 131.
138 Peter Hatch, A Rich Spot of Earth (Yale University Press, 2012), 76.
660’
660’
Original
House
Dependency
wing
Walled Garden
Vegetable Buttressed Carriage Circle

Garden passageway
Stables
1/2 an acre
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 55: A re-imagination of George Divers’ gardens based on records found.
McMahon recommends that the kitchen garden generally should be detached from the pleasure-ground.
It should also be as much out of view of the front of the habitation as possible, at some reasonable distance
either behind it, or towards either of its sides. In this way, the garden’s walls or fences would not obstruct
any desirable prospect either of the pleasure-garden, fields, or the adjacent country. If space was limited,
McMahon found it acceptable to place the kitchen, fruit, and pleasure-garden in one garden, with spacious
principal walks and borders. He described the borders as being of considerable breadth, planted with a
range of espalier fruit-trees, surrounding the quarters; the front planted with flowers and small shrubs;
and the inner quarters with kitchen vegetables.140
The garden was to be situated so as to be protected from northwesterly winds, a moderately sloping
ground being ideal, as its inclination towards the sun produced early crops. This inclination should either
be towards the southwest or the southeast.141 McMahon also stated that a family kitchen garden could be
from about a quarter of an acre or less to size or six to eight acres or more, according to the limits of the
ground, the requirements of family needs or sale consumption. According to him, a kitchen garden of an
acre would produce a plentiful supply of esculent herbage and fruit, sufficient for a family of ten to fifteen
persons.142 The proper shape of a kitchen garden would be either a square or oblong square (rectangle),
especially if the ground was to be fenced with fruit-trees. No other shape answers and succeeds so well for
that purpose as a square does.143
McMahon also stressed the importance of fencing the kitchen garden for the security of the crops and to
defend tender and early crops from cutting winds. He considered brick walls to be stronger, warmer, and
more durable than paling fences. According to him, they are the most effective for the growth and ripening
of the latest and more delicate kinds of fruit. Their characteristics of natural warmth and reflection of the
sun’s heat give them this effect. If fruit-trees are to be used as a board fence or palings, they are to be closely
joined, edge to edge, forming a plane or even surface.144

141 Ibid, 235.
142 Ibid, 102.
143 Ibid, 103.
144 Ibid, 36.
Figure 56: Brick walls surrounding Farmington's walled garden (demolished in 1997) Figure 57: The walled garden at Farmington (demolished in 1997)
The widths of the walks within the garden should be between 5-10 or 5-12 feet, and they must be in
proportion to the extent of the garden. Each of the quarters or squares within the garden should also be
surrounded by a border 5-8 feet wide.145 Fences or walls are to be 6-7 feet high on the north side, serving as
wind shields and extra protection for the crops, but sloping to 5 feet in the front to allow the sun to freely
come through.146
In summary, the elements of a Kitchen garden, according to Bernard McMahon are:
-Walls or hot-walls to produce early crops

-Fencing, borders, or edging
-Walks, either principal or minor walks
-Quarters, compartments, or squares
It is likely that Divers’ garden followed a similar format. It included brick walls, as mentioned by Judith
Rives, some of which may have survived until 1997 (as seen pre-1997 in figures 56 & 57). His gardens
also followed McMahon’s recommendation as to be out of sight from the main entrance, at a reasonable
distance behind the house. His walled garden also followed the general recommendation for size, as it was
about half an acre, and in terms of the height and existence of brick walls. The grid which is seen in Divers’
walled garden (figure 60) possibly extended onto his vegetable garden which was replaced by the current
tennis courts. Following that grid, along with the general recommendations of that time period for kitchen
gardens, it is possible that Divers’ gardens resembled what is shown in figure 60.

146 Ibid, 105.
Figure 58: The new garden and Fitness Center which replaced the walled garden Figure 59: Another view of the new garden and Fitness Center which replaced the walled
garden
660’
660’ Original
House
Dependency
wing
Walled Garden
Vegetable Buttressed
Garden passageway
1/2 an acre
Stables
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 60: Master plan of Farmington - envisioning George Divers’ gardens.
Farmington
Country
Club
Tennis courts
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 61: Master plan of Farmington current condition -2019

Furthermore, it is possible to know what plants George Divers grew in his gardens from records of his
letters: 147
Plants & Herbs:

• Asparagus
• Indian Corn
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Potatoes
• Parsnip
• Peas (black, grey, cow, Mazzei)
• Beet
• Salsify
• Tomatoes
• Sea-kale or Cabbage
Aromatic, pot, & sweet herbs

• Marjoram
• Winter Savory
• Thyme
Fruit Trees
• Spitzbergen apple
• Almond
• Fig
• Peach
• Pear

147 Lucia Stanton, Selection from documents concerning George Divers (Unpublished, 2013).
In order to comprehend all of what Divers grew, a full list is compiled as follows: 148
1. Peas (black, grey, cow, Mazzei) 17. Figs

2. Potatoes 18. Marjoram
3. Asparagus 19. Roses
4. Tomatoes 20. Corn
5. Cucumbers 21. Winter Savory
6. Grape vines 22. Thyme
7. Spitzbergen apple trees 23. Salsify
8. Timothy seed 24. Carrots
9. Peach 25. Celery
10. Sea-kale or Cabbage 26. Parsnip
11. Yellow jasmines 27. Beet
12. Raspberry 28. Wheat
13. Oat grass 29. Tobacco
14. Pears 30. Flax
15. Almond kernels 31. Clover
16. Alpine strawberry plants 32. Wool

148 Lucia Stanton, Selection from documents concerning George Divers (Unpublished, 2013).
George Divers’ mill
It is believed that Francis Jerdone built a mill and mill pond along Ivy Creek.149 Evidence of George Divers’
mill can be traced back to his letters and accounts by others.
In a British mercantile claim in 1801 he was described as follows: “George Divers still resides in Albemarle
Country and is very rich”. 150 The federal government took a census of business in 1820 and Divers Mill was
listed as follows: “George Divers has a Merchant Mill, which cost $5,000 dollars, running two pair of burr
stones, grinding 8,000 bushels of wheat per acre per Annum, which cost from 3 to 12 shillings per bushel,
making sixteen hundred barrels of flour, which is sold from 3-12 dollars per barrel. In which establishment
are employed two hands whose wages are $500 per annum contingent expenses $50 dollars per annum”.151
Divers regarded the mill as a business and ran it as merchant mill, grinding thousands of bushels of wheat
for customers for profit. Divers wrote on January 1st 1793 to Thomas Jefferson: “I’m sorry to hear that wheat
and flour is not in demand to the Northward hope it will be higher in the spring”.152 It is even possible that
Divers was interested in buying Farmington for its mill.
Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter on April 11th 1820 to Bernard Peyton that he had trusted Divers with a
sample of wheat from Chili. He also explained how the crop was not very productive and how he appointed
Divers to prepare its next harvest. “I received in due time your favor of March 30th and on reconsideration
of the subject, have changed my mind. While I lived in Washington I received sample of wheat from Chili,
which I gave to Mr. Divers to take care of. It proves not so productive as our own but whiter than the whitest
of the May wheat. At the next harvest I will get Mr. Divers to prepare half a dozen barrels of that which sent
as a rarity can be more delicately offered in that character as well as for its superior excellency”. 153

106 150 Robert A. Kuhlthau, A History of the Farmington Plantation, (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished), 24.
151 Ibid.
152 ed. John Catanzariti, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 25, 1 January–10 May 1793, , (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992), 3–4, https://
founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-25-02-0002.
153 Jefferson Papers, Thomas Jefferson to Bernard Peyton, 11 April 1820, Founders Online, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/
Jefferson/98-01-02-1211.
He also showed interest in buying more mills to carry on the manufacturing of flour on an extensive scale.
In a letter dated July 7th 1791 from Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. to Thomas Jefferson, Randolph Jr. wrote:
“Dear Sir… Mr. Henderson has been offered 1400 pounds of Virginia money for his mill and it is generally
supposed that he may get 2000 for it. He refused peremptorily the first offer. I am informed that Mr. George
Divers is one of a company which wished to purchase it and carry on the manufacture of a flour on an
extensive scale by a joint stock. The situation has shown its advantage this summer when almost all the
mills in the country have been stopped”. 154
Another record, a letter that dated July 24th 1791, shows Divers’ interest in buying Henderson’s Mill. In this
record, Thomas Jefferson wrote to Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. hoping they would also buy his mill:
“I have always intended to endeavor to engage some miller of capital here to erect my mill on such plan as
he should choose and then rent it to him for a term of years. Your letter informing me that Mr. Divers and
others were proposing to take Mr. Henderson’s mill. But that they had not been able to agree, induces me to
suppose it possible they might be willing to take mine. I should propose to make the necessary stoopages in
the river and to build the millhouse on such plant as the tenant should choose, and for this I ask 10 percent
per annum on account of the risk and decay to which they would be exposed. I should finish the canal and
ask 5 percent on the cost of that, to which I should add a reasonable interest on the value of the position,
waterfall &c. they to erect their own running gear and of course to pay no rent on them. I should be willing
to rent for such term as their running gear might be supposed to last, or for double that term if they should
prefer it. If you should have an opportunity of sounding Mr. Divers on this subject I will be obliged to you:
and if he is disposed to the contract it shall be concluded when I come to Virginia. Tho’ I believe it would
be better for the neighborhood that there should be two rival mills, yet I suppose the miller would rather
be without rivality..” 155

107 154 Diver’s Family History, (Farmington Historical Society, Unpublished).
155 Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. -07-24, 1791. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mtjbib005499/.
Divers faced the malfunction of his mill on many occasions. On October 16th 1792, George Divers wrote
to Francis Jerdone Jr.: “I made a very good crop of wheat this year & as soon as I get my mill put to rights
shall begin to grind it up”. 156 On April 6th 1809, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Jonathan Shoemaker
describing the problems with management at Shadwell mills, which forced people to go elsewhere…
“Mr. Divers sent his wheat by the mill to Magruder’s, 9 miles further, to his extreme inconvenience” 157 In
another account, on March 10th, 1817 Thomas Eston Randolph wrote to Thomas Jefferson: “the season of
1815/1816 Mr. Divers’ mill was not in operation, his wheat (two crops I believe) was ground at Pen Park
mill, that, and the Shadwell Mill together, did not grind over 21,000 bushels, nor do I believe any wheat was
sent down the River..” 158
The breakdown of Divers’ mill did not stop him from producing a very large crop. W. Walker Gilmer wrote
a letter to Thomas Eubank on October 5th 1850: “you wouldn’t find two people agree on average product
per acre. George Divers of Farmington made on 2 acres 98 bushels and threw away the caps of the shocks
as he made family flour of it. This was the greatest crop I have heard of in Albemarle”. 159
Having established through several accounts the existence of Divers’ mill, it became important to locate it.
A solid support to these accounts is the map of the division of Divers’ estate among Lucy Gilmer, Peachy
Gilmer, and Isaac White in 1830, displaying the location of the mill. The mill (shown in a yellow square)
on Ivy Creek and the original house (shown in a green square) are shown on the original map, figure 62. In
order to delineate the location of the mill, a new map was created. This map (figure 62) is a combination of
a geographic and an aerial map.

108 156 Lucia Stanton, Selection from documents concerning George Divers, (Unpublished, 2013), 3.
157 Ibid, 6.
158 Ibid, 10.
159 Ibid, 17.
Mill
Mill
Farmington Farmington
House House
Figure 62: Historic map showing the division of George Divers’ land, as well as the location Figure 63: A combination of the historic map of Farmington’s division (figure 62), a
of Farmington’s residence and mill, 1830. geographic, and an aerial map to delineate the current location of the mill.

109
Figure 64: Recent image of the area of the former mill.
Following the geographic location of the mill on the maps, it was possible to track down its current location.
In figure 64 and the pages that follow, are images of what are likely to be remnants of Divers’ mill.
Divers' inventory shows the following in the area of the mill 160:
• 67 hogs
• 1 shot gun
• 13 bushels of Bran Flour
• 20 bushels of flour
• Lucy’s Wheel & cards
The name of his wheel, Lucy’s Wheel, possibly refers to Martha Divers’ favorite niece, Lucy Gilmer.
In the following images, numerous boulders can be seen in Ivy Creek. Perhaps they are remnants of a wall
on which Divers’ mill stood. There are also holes in some of the boulders in the area, which may allude to
their use as burr stones. However, further investigations and examinations must be carried out to test the
plausibility that these remnants date back to George Divers’ time.
It is also important to discover where Divers likely grew his wheat crops. The following subsection will
investigate possible locations.

Figure 65: Some stones have holes in them. Figure 66: Remnants of stones at Ivy Creek Figure 67: Remnants of stones at the mill site
George Divers’ wheat fields
On Aug. 31st 1792, Governor Barbour wrote in his journal: “Divers thinks fields of 50 acres of wheat the
best size. He estimates 2 bushels of wheat for every cubic yard of wheat in the straw when stacked”. 161
Accordingly, it is important to find a plot of land of 50 acres. During Judith Rives’ visit to Farmington in
1818, she described the wheat fields: “A certain number of acres nearest the garden were dedicated to the
production of the fine wheat, from which was extracted the crème de la crème of the flour supplying the
exquisitely white loaves on which my aunt prided herself ”. 162
She added: “A pleasant walk through the woods led to the mill where uncle Peter resided in patriarchal
dignity and where, after his light labors of the week were finished”. 163 She was also impressed by the quality
of the flour produced at the mill, and her aunt’s excellent house-keeping: “I have said that the delicate flour
manufactured at the mill produced the beautiful bread on which my aunt placed an especial value, as the
crowning point of her excellent house-keeping”. 164
According to Judith’s narrative, the wheat fields were closest to the gardens. Furthermore, based on the
previous subsection of exploring the “three well-nurtured gardens”, it is acceptable to assume that the
gardens she referred to are the main gardens of the house (the kitchen and fruit garden). She also describes
that a pleasant walk through the woods was their commute to the mill. In the following pages is an
exploration to find where the wheat fields were.

162 Judith Page Rives, Autobiography written for her grandchildren, ACHS MS-424.6, (Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, Unpublished), 42-43.
163 Ibid, 43.
164 Ibid, 44.
Figure 68: Thought process sketch to find out the possible location of the wheat fields at Divers’ time.
Farmington - Garden Club of Virginia - Dania Khlaifat - 2019 Rudy J. Favretti Favretti
Figure 69: Another thought process sketch to find out the possible location of the wheat fields at Divers’ time.
The previous sketches show that it is possible that the wheat fields were in either location as indicated in
figures 68 and 69. However, noting George Divers’ description of the best size of a wheat field as 50 acres,
it is likely that the wheat fields are southwest of the house (figure 70). Another affirmation of this location
for the wheat crops is its protection from north-westerly winds. Bernard McMahon advocated that fields
should be protected from north-westerly winds. In this case, the woods are protecting the fields. McMahon
also proposed moderately sloping grounds as ideal, as their inclination towards the sun produces early
crops, suggesting the inclination is either southwest or southeast.
Based on Divers' and Jefferson’s relationship, it is noteworthy to look into how Jefferson divided his land. In
a Jeffersonian survey for a part of Monticello in which Jefferson considered dividing the fields, he proposed
a new pattern of squares of 40 acres each (figure 71). This would be exactly 4 times the 10-acre square
which may have made up the yard along Divers' house (figure 70). It also comes out evenly in rods or
chains, as a 40-acre square is 80 poles or 1,320 feet on a side or 40 two-pole chains.
Another resource is a lidar image of the area of Farmington’s plantation. In figure 73, one begins to see the
formation of squares (as described earlier in the subsection about the gardens). Could this be the field for
wheat that was described by Judith to be near the garden?
Considering the size, the southwest inclination, and the protection from northwesterly winds, this location
is the more probable (figures 68 & 73). However, its size is 40 acres, less than the ideal size of 50 acres that
Divers would have wished for. Perhaps Divers compromised the size by 10 acres less, or perhaps the field
was not an even square of 40 acres, as Jefferson’s fields were.
Figure 70: The areas of the lands along Farmington.
40 acres
Figure 71: A Jeffersonian survey of part of Monticello

Figure 72: A lidar image of Farmington where lines begin to form in the landscape
Figure 73: A 40-acre square plot is evident in the landscape.
In summary, this is an attempt to find George Divers’ three well-nurtured gardens and his wheat fields.
It is encouraged that future research explore areas that have never been explored. For instance, did Divers
have an orchard? Did he have a vineyard? Did he keep a journal? While Divers did grow apple and grape
trees, it was impossible to answer these questions with certainty in this study. This set of speculations has
been reached through connecting historic findings about Divers’ gardens and mill.
It is encouraged that further studies be carried out that may link to George Divers, looking further into
all his relationship connections to find leads to his gardens. Such links as Judith Walker Rives, Governor
Barbour, Elizabeth Trist, and others who have corresponded with Divers should be pursued. It is also
encouraged that archaeological excavations in certain areas such as the tennis courts or the likely location
of the wheat fields be carried out to find concrete evidence of the speculations made in this study.
Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper’s time period 1860 - 1877
Another prominent owner of Farmington was Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper. She received a large
inheritance from her sea-captain father, as well as from her brother, who maintained a high status in
England as a steam engine designer.
After both her father and brother died, Mrs. Harper was left with an ample amount of money, which would
have enabled her to design and attend to her gardens. She also experienced the Civil War at Farmington
during her 17-year tenure.
Mrs. Harper's granddaughter, Mary Holt, recounted what the gardens looked like at the time of the visit to
Farmington, in a book published in 1971. The date of the visit is not known.165 Mrs. Holt recounted: “Mrs.
Harper’s Boxwood labyrinth has grown almost to a compact mass of storm-conquering, time-defying
green. The conservatory, serving as his background, the little portico on which we stood commanding a
view, first of the quaint garden, then of the covered alley-way of corridors, and beyond, the park with its
veteran trees”.166
“At the end of this passageway we passed out into the upper part of the stable yard, and opening a gate
on our right, ‘Lady Margaret’ took us into the vegetable garden... This garden was also designed by Mrs.
Harper. The broad, soft, grassy walks are like those in the gardens in England, and the brick wall on our
right borders a walled-in garden which covers one-half acre”. She continued: “within its boundaries many
kinds of fruits adapted to the temperate zone were planted, and against the walls are trained different
varieties of delicious figs, which still remain and each season bear large crops”.167
“The garden with its beautiful soft grassy walks like the gardens in England has been torn up and part of
it made into tennis courts. Mrs. Harper’s little boxwood labyrinth has been ruined. The unique old trees
in the yard have been allowed to die”.168 She also added: “Sweeping around the cultivated farm lands are
the gracious outlines of the everlasting hills, range after range in tender misty tones of violet and blue; the
skyline broken by the dark, perpendicular steeples of the cedar trees, and old locusts, festooned with the
crimson draperies of Virginia creeper, while hickories and poplars in their golden glory mingle with the
still vigorous green of the oaks, and all the mountain sides are touched with flame in the topmost branches
of the maples”.169

123 165 Mary Miller Holt, The house that lost its soul (Stephen Philip Holt, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1971), 2.
166 Ibid, 13.
167 Ibid, 15.
168 Ibid, 24.
169 Ibid, 2.
She also described “the delicious confusion of rosebushes and honeysuckle, wisteria vine and over-grown
box bushes”. 170 In summary, Mrs. Holt recounted a boxwood labyrinth, a stable yard, a vegetable garden,
rosebushes, honeysuckle, wisteria vine and over-grown box bushes.
The gardens are described in the 1923 book “Historic Gardens of Virginia” as a box garden created by Mrs.
Harper.171 Its location is said to have been at the southeast side of the house, approachable by the portico or
conservatory, or through a little gate opening on the large lawn (figure 74). The author of the book noted
that the garden contained 13 beds of which the majority were diamond shaped, and each bed was edged
with dwarf-box. The author added that roses were the main plants in the beds. Other perennials in the
box garden were lilies, larkspur, and mignonettes. The large lawn (which is the current drop-off area), is
described to include native trees, beautiful shrubs uncommon to Virginia, in fact imported from England,
including a double pink Hawthorne shrub.172

170 Mary Miller Holt, The house that lost its soul (Stephen Philip Holt, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1971), 13.
171 Edith Tunis Sale; James River Garden Club. Historic Gardens of Virginia, (William Byrd Press Inc, 1923), 277.
172 Ibid, 273-277.
Figure 74: Illustration by Robert Woods in "Historic Gardens of Virginia" Figure 75: An illustration reimagining Mrs. Harpers’ box garden
Figure 76: From the main entrance of Farmington overlooking Mrs. Harper’s box garden
Figure 77: Mrs. Harper’s box garden
Figure 78: The main entrance to Farmington (the Jefferson Room) and what may be a greenhouse (to the left)
Figure 79: Unknown lady at Farmington
660’
50’
Original
660’ Lawn
House
150’
Dependency
wing
Boxwood
Walled Garden Garden
Vegetable Buttressed
Garden passageway
1/2 an acre Stables
Figure 80: Master plan of Farmington - envisioning Mrs. Harpers’ gardens

Farmington
Country
Club
Feet
0 50 100 200
Figure 81: Master plan of Farmington today
The book also mentions the walled garden to have been at the southwestern end of the house, covering
one-half acre, in which fruit trees were planted, including a variety of figs. Consequently, this part of the
subsection aims to retrace the locations of the elements of Mrs. Harper’s gardens, what they resembled, and
compare to their location with the gardens which existed in Divers’ time period.
In figures 74 and 75, one can see an illustration of the boxwood labyrinth garden of Mrs. Harper. However,
an image (figure 76 & 77) is more credible than sketches which may or may not have resembled reality.
In the image (figure 77), the boxwood garden seems to be much smaller than that in the sketches. The
similarity is that the garden is fenced in both image (figure 77) and in sketch (figure 74). Therefore, more
credibility is given to the image (figure 77) and is used to sketch the layout of Mrs. Harper’s gardens (figure
80).
As well as the boxwood garden there was a greenhouse. Although written accounts have not described it
fully, it is important to note the existence of a greenhouse just south of the Jefferson Room (figure 78).
On another note, Mrs. Harper’s inventory shows the following:173

Improved Land: 700 Acres
Unimproved Land: 181 Acres Bushels of Wheat: 1,400
Cash Value of Farm: $40,000 Bushels of Indian Corn: 2,500
Value of Farming Implements: $750 Bushels of Oats: 200
Horses: 10 Pounds of Tobacco: 23,000
Asses or Mules: 1 Pounds of Wool: 120
Milk Cows: 8 Bushels of Irish Potatoes: 20
Working Oxen: 4 Bushels of Sweet Potatoes: 20
Sheep: 20 Value of Orchard Products, Dollar Value: $100
Swine: 80 Tons of Hay: 30
Value of Livestock: $7,800 Value of Animals Slaughtered: $640
132
173 Schedule 4 in the productions of Agriculture in Fredericksville Parish, post office of Charlottesville, 13 (also in appendix 4 and 5, page 148-149).

Figure 82: The boxwood garden after Mrs. Harper’s time period

Through studying Mrs. Harper’s records (page 143-149 in appendix), it is evident that she was producing
a plethora of tobacco, 23,000 pounds to be exact. This is possibly due to the emergence of a new form of
selling tobacco which started in 1830. This new process entailed warehouse operators being responsible for
helping farmers display their tobacco produce to receive the best bid from buyers from different companies.
After receiving the best bid, the sale would take place, and the tobacco would in turn be transported to
factories in North Carolina or Richmond. This might explain why there was an abundance of growing
tobacco at Mrs. Harper’s plantation, as it was in high demand.174
Her inventory also shows that she improved 700 acres of her 881 acres at Farmington, which is equivalent
to 80% of the total land. This says a lot about Mrs. Harper's ability to transform the landscape into a well-
functioning plantation and gardens. In an 1860 census, the cash value of the land was at $40,000, which
was a great deal of money at the time. Mrs. Harper’s inventory also shows her affinity for the best quality of
furniture and fixtures. Moreover, evidence in receipts of her account shows significant spending; her bank
account balance dropped from around $32,000 in October of 1871 to about $2,500 by the end of March of
1873.175 (also available in appendix 6 and 7).
In summary, Mrs. Harper’s wealth, thanks to the inheritance she received from both her father and brother,
is apparent in her improvement of the land, the extravagance of her gardens, her growing of crops, raising
animals, collecting the best furniture and her ownership of 250 slaves.
While the extent of the study concerning Mrs. Harper lies here, it would be extremely helpful if more
evidence were to be discovered about her period of ownership that might lead to more findings.

174 Unknown author. Tobacco markets in Virginia, retrieved: http://www.virginiaplaces.org/agriculture/tobaccogrow.html
175 Mrs. M. A. Harper’s accounts with Duncan, Sherman, & Co, retrieved: Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.
Figure 83: Possibly what Mrs. Harper’s boxwood garden looked like
136

Chapter 4
137
Figure 84: Peony garden at Farmington which replaced the boxwood garden
of Mrs. Harper
Discussions & Conclusions
In studying Farmington’s history from 1735 to the present day, it is evident that Farmington underwent
extreme changes, from a crude forest, to a habitation for many owners, to a country club. Yet, historians
have overlooked the way the plantation landscape changed throughout its different ownership periods, and
rather tended to focus on structural elements such as Farmington’s main house, slave cabins and ice-house.
The gap in the literature became the driver of this three-months research, and one of its goals was to find
out the changes in the landscape of Farmington through history.
Amongst the thirteen owners of Farmington, the most prominent landscape efforts happened at the time
of George Divers and Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper. For that reason, the research has expanded on their
time periods of ownership. Throughout studying and analyzing Divers’ period, it became evident that he
had three well nurtured gardens, a mill, and wheat fields. Divers is also associated with the Jeffersonian
addition to the Farmington house. Given his strong friendship with Thomas Jefferson, it is plausible that
Jefferon influenced Divers’ plantation at Farmington. As seen in the illustrations throughout the study,
in the different graphics used to establish the existence of Divers’ wheat fields, Divers’ own description
of a good size for wheat fields, and the narrative of Judith Rives, a plausible location for the fields was
discovered. It was also possible to find out the location of Divers’ mill through juxtaposing a map of 1830
of Divers’ division of his land to his three heirs, with a more recent map. This allowed the exploration of
the site of the mill, which now only retains remnants of what likely was Divers’ mill. Similarly, Divers’ three
well-nurtured gardens were described by Judith Rives, Mary Holt and William F. O’ Dell. Based on these
accounts, along with analyzing many illustrations, a re-imagination of Divers’ gardens was possible.
Likewise, the gardens of Mrs. Harper were uncovered based on historic accounts and photographic
evidence. It became apparent that Mrs. Harper too had three gardens as Divers did before her. And whether
the existence of Divers’ gardens influenced the many owners that followed him, or Mrs. Harper’s gardens
herself, is unknown. Nonetheless, to reinforce the findings of this study, it is vital that further research and
archaeological excavations take place, especially in certain areas such as the tennis courts, previously the
138
location of the vegetable garden of both owners.
In conclusion, future research that may link to George Divers and Mrs. Harper is encouraged, including
looking further into Divers’ and Mrs. Harper’s relationship connections to find further leads to their
gardens, looking into further correspondences between Governor Barbour, Elizabeth Trist, and Divers,
and looking into accounts such as that of Judith Walker Rives or others which might have described Mrs.
Harper’s gardens which are undiscovered.
Given that the archived and published sources on Farmington were scarce and the time limitation was
bounded to three months, the extent of the study lies here. Accordingly, I encourage future research on
Farmington’s history, in all its different aspects, and wish that it receives the attention it deserves. This is but
the beginning to uncover some of the mysteries of Farmington.
139
List of Figures
Figures Reference
1 Image taken by author, June 12th 2019.

4 Google Earth 2018 used as a base map, context map created by author.
5 Rick Britton, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, 2003, (Thomas Jefferson Foundation Inc., 2003).
8 Henderson Heyward, Farmington Past & Present, (Jefferson library, 1970).
9 Robert E. Lee Gildea, Jr., The Farmington Hunt Club Map, (Albemarle Special Collections, 2009).
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 Figure created by Author.
13 Michael Crabill, Albemarle Patents & Grants 1722-1800, 2017.
14 Ibid.
15 Image from microfilm, deed book 9, (The Library of Virginia, 1949), 82-84.
16 Mill’s drawing, Sketch of Farmington House, Wood’s family collection, 1860.
17 Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.
18 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club, Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place, (Farmington Country Club:2003), 12.
20 Farmington Special Collections, Image of Farmington.
23 Divers family history, plot of 2845 acres of land belonging to estate of George Divers, (Farmington Historical Society, 1830).
24 Michael J. Broome, Farmington Country Club, Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place (Farmington Country Club:2003), 23.
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid.
27 Mary Miller Holt, Farmington as it appears when Joseph Miller bought the place from Mrs. Peyton in 1860 and gave it to his sister
Mary Anne Harper, The House That Lost Its Soul (Stephen Philip Holt, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1971),18.
29 M. J. Copps. All the portions of Farmington sold by Warner Wood Est. Albemarle County Circuit Court. Deed book 198, 252.
140

Figures Reference
31 Ibid, 31.
32 Donald Stevens, Map of Farmington’s subdivision, Archives of Farmington Historical Society, 1930.
34 Earle Sumner Draper, Map of Farmington’s subdivision, (Farmington Historical Society, 1930).
35 Unknown, Historic image showing the cedar trees along Farmington Drive, FCC0309, (Farmington Historical Society, 1934-50).
36 Image taken by author, recent image showing the cedar trees along Farmington Drive, 2019.
37 Google Earth aerial image showing Farmington Country Club and its facilities, 2019.
38 Image taken by author, recent image showing the cedar trees along Farmington Drive, 2019.
39 Illustration created by author, major developments at Farmington across the time-line of different owners, 2019.
40 Illustration created by author, the changes in land-plot size at Farmington across the time-line of different owners, 2019.
41 Thomas Jefferson, Original sketch of the plan of the Jeffersonian addition at Farmington, (The Coolidge Collection of Thomas
Jefferson Manuscripts at Massachusetts Historical Society, 1802).
42 Ibid, Original sketch of the facade of the Jeffersonian addition at Farmington, 1802.
43 Illustration created by author, illustration of the change in Farmington’s size from George Divers’ time of ownership to others, 2019.
Base map created by Michael Crabill, Albemarle Patents & Grants 1722-1800, 2017.
44 William F. O’Dell, The Farmington Walking Tour, ACHS MS- 424.6, (Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, Unpublished),
16
45 Illustration created by author, illustration showing the entire structures at Farmington post additions, 2019.
46 Illustration created by author, basemap of Earle Sumner Draper’s map (Farmington Historical Society, 1928) and Donald Stevens’
map (Farmington Historical Society, 1930).
47 Donald Stevens, Map of Farmington’s subdivision, Archives of Farmington Historical Society, 1930.
48 Earle Sumner Draper, Map of Farmington’s subdivision, (Farmington Historical Society, 1930).
49 Photo Science Inc., topographic survey of Farmington Country Club, February 1969.
50 Illustration created by author, basemap of topographic survey of Farmington Country Club (1969).
51 Aerial view of Farmington, Farmington Historical Society, 1937.
52 Illustration created by author using aerial view of Farmington retrieved from Farmington Historical Society, 1937.
53 Illustration created by author using aerial view of Farmington retrieved from Farmington Historical Society, 1937.
54 Illustration created by author, 2019.
55 Archives of Farmington Historical Society, Image of the Walled garden, 1997.
141

Figures Reference
56 Archives of Farmington Historical Society, Image of the Walled garden, 1997.

57 Image taken by author, August 6th 2019.
58 Image taken by author, August 6th 2019.
61 Illustration created by author, basemap retrieved from Farmington Country Club, Extraordinary People in a Remarkable Place,
(Farmington Country Club:2003), 23.
62 Ibid, basemap used from Esri Arcmap 10.3, 2019.
67 Illustration created by author using Google Earth imagery as a base map, 2019.
70 Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts at Massachusetts Historical Society, A Jeffersonian survey of part of Monticello.
71 Illustration created by author using lidar data of Farmington, 2016.
72 Illustration created by author using lidar data of Farmington, 2016.
73 Archives of Farmington Historical Society, image of a car alludes to the former entry-way to Farmington, (unknown date).
74 Robert Woods, Historic Gardens of Virginia, an illustration - re-imagining Mrs. Harper’s box garden, 1923, 275.
75 Mary Miller Holt, The Castle of Dreams, an illustration -re-imagining Mrs. Harper’s box garden, 1927.
76 Archives of Farmington Historical Society, image from the main entrance of Farmington overlooking Mrs. Harper’s box garden,
77 1930.
78 Mary Miller Holt, The house That Lost Its Soul, Mrs. Harper’s flower garden: showing the boxwood labyrinth and the corridor, 20.
79 Collection of images of Janice Carter, image showing the main entrance to Farmington, 1930.
80 Mary Miller Holt, The Castle of Dreams, an illustration of Farmington and a lady of Farmington, 1927.
81 Illustration created by author, master plan of Farmington - envisioning Mrs. Harpers’ gardens, 2019.
82 Illustration created by author, master plan of Farmington today, 2019.
Archives of Farmington Historical Society, The boxwood garden after Mrs. Harper’s time period, 1930.
83 Archives of Farmington Historical Society, Possibly what Mrs. Harper’s boxwood garden looked like, 1930.
84 Image taken by author, image of peony garden at Farmington which replaced the boxwood garden of Mrs. Harper, 2019.
142

Appendices
Appendix 1: An 1870 survey values

Farmington at $35,000 and Mrs. Harper’s
personal assets at $109,000.
143
Schedule 1 - Inhabitants in Fredericksville
Parish, post office of Charlottesville, 78.

Opposite
Appendix 2: Record of Mrs. Harper’s will
144
Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper’s will,
Albemarle County Circuit Court, will book
10, 280.

Appendix 3: Record of Mrs. Harper’s will
145
Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper’s will,
Albemarle County Circuit Court, will book
10, 281.
Farmington - Garden Club of Virginia - Dania Khlaifat - 2019 Rudy J. Favretti Farmington - Garden Club of Virginia - Dania Khlaifat - 2019 Rudy J. Favretti
Appendix 4: Record of Mrs. Harper’s inventory
146
Schedule 4 in the productions of Agriculture in
Fredericksville Parish, post office of Charlottesville, 13.

Appendix 5: Record of Mrs. Harper’s inventory
147
Schedule 4 in the productions of Agriculture in

Fredericksville Parish, post office of Charlottesville, 13.

Appendix 6: Mrs. Harper’s bank account balance
shows about $32,000 on October 2nd 1871.
148 Mrs. Mary A. Harper’s account with Duncan, Sherman

& Co., Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections
Library.

Appendix 7: Mrs. Harper’s bank account balance
shows $2,550 by the end of March 31st 1873.
149 Mrs. Mary A. Harper’s account with Duncan, Sherman

& Co., Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections
Library.

Appendix 8: Sale record of
Farmington from Francis
Jerdone Jr. to George Divers.
150 Image from microfilm, deed book 9,

(The Library of Virginia, 1949), 82-84.

Appendix 9: Sale record of
Farmington from Francis
Jerdone Jr. to George Divers.
151 Image from microfilm, deed book 9,

(The Library of Virginia, 1949), 82-84.

Appendix 10: Thomas Jefferson's
journal on plants, including
notes about George Divers.
152 The Coolidge Collection of Thomas

Jefferson Manuscripts. (Massachusetts
Historical Society, 1774-1824), 84.
Appendix 11: Thomas Jefferson's
journal on plants, including
notes about George Divers.
153 The Coolidge Collection of Thomas

Jefferson Manuscripts. (Massachusetts
Historical Society, 1774-1824), 85.
Appendix 1: July 15th 2019
Interview With David Wood
David Wood is a descendant of the Wood family. He was born in 1924. At the time of the interview,
David was 95 years old. His connection to the Wood family is through Warner and Margaret Wood, his
grandparents and some of Farmington’s prominent figures. Mary Anne Miller Wood Harper was his great
grandmother. David had lived in Farmington in the 1970s and for that reason he was able to describe
historic features, changes, or other events that took place in Farmington.
In summary, he describes that his grandmother, Margaret Lynn Woods Wood enjoyed garden design
and grew a boxwood next to the Farmington habitation. He also used the term “showcase” to describe
Margaret’s connection to her garden, as she showcased a beautiful boxwood garden maze. And as part
of her efforts to showcase Farmington, she held many social events as David described. He also brought
about Warner Wood’s affinity to raise oxens, of which one was called “White Cloud”. Bird hunting was an
activity Warner and Billy Garth enjoyed, as David describes. He also confirmed the existence of a former
garden in place of the current tennis courts, slave cabins in place of the 1st tee, mushrooms and a cattle lot
in place of the 9th tee, and an artesian spring called “The Green” in place of the 4th hole. “The Green” was
very close to Blue Ridge and Fairway lanes, and was part of Warner’s efforts to create a sustainable avant-
garde irrigation system.
The next part of the interview continued with a set of questions and answers between the author (Dania
Khlaifat), Anne Sloop (Archivist at Farmington), and David Wood:
Author: Do you recall a street leading directly to the Jefferson room? Was it a street or a smaller circle
that led to the Farmington house?
David: It was this part and it went around just like that (making a circular shape as speaking and pointing
154
to a masterplan of Farmington). And the trees right there in the middle that you see today weren’t there.

We had trees there but I remember when a number of those big Oaks were planted. We had a tornado
come through here. It was after the war. It was somewhere after 1975 or some time after. And it knocked
down a lot of things. Those big trees were planted after the tornado.
David: The Cedar of Lebanon. That was there, that’s about the only one I know. That’s an old tree.
Mrs. Sloop (Archivist at Farmington): That’s the real weary one, on the right hand side (pointing to a
masterplan of Farmington) in front of the dependencies.
David: Yes. It’s a Cedar.
Author: Were there occasions when picnics were held at the lawn? Or any social events that took place at
the time you lived in Farmington?
David: My grandmother, the one of Wood’s wife, made Farmington a quite a social place. They had
parties there all the time and invited practically everybody. If you get into the Daily Progress you will see
all the parties they held. They made quite a story of it, all the stories she had. But I wasn’t born yet.
Author: You mentioned the location of the slave cabins. Do you remember where they were?
David: Some of them were just torn down since the war. I guess you know about all those, but around the
1st golf hole, the 1st tee, was the area of the houses. And by the 9th hole, there was a cattle lot and more
recently 40 years ago, every spring we get all these mushrooms in the fairway. They came up because
cattle was up there.
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David : Do you know where the little graveyard is? It is a little close to that area where the cattle lot was.
Author: And do you remember where the old stables were?
David: The men’s locker room now was previously the old stables.
Mrs. Sloop: And they took down some of the stables to build the children’s place.
David: They’ve changed things a whole lot. But that’s where the stables were (pointing on a masterplan).
Author: Why would they put the cattle so far away from the stables?
David: I don’t have any idea why they would do that.
Mrs. Sloop: Maybe they had the cattle away from the house so it wouldn’t smell!
Author: I questioned that before coming here.
Mrs. Sloop: But it’s not that far.
David: When I was a kid they had a horse show ring and I rode some of the horse shows.
Mrs. Sloop: So you said the slave quarters were near the 1st tee, is that right? by the golf parking?
David: Yes, more or less they had their own little houses and there were some down on the first Fairway and
then as you turned to go down the Old Mill road, about 4 cabins were here and some all the way down to
Ivy Creek. Are you familiar with water works?
156

Author: not quite. Can you please clarify what you mean by that?
David: As you’re going down Lake road, you’ll see a spring about a half way its rocked in, that was were
all the water came from. That’s were all the slaves would bring the water in buckets.
Mrs. Sloop: That’s where the water wheel is.
David: until about 1870, my grandfather put in.. in where the 4th hole is, in where The Green is. Down in
that bottom there was an artesian spring, water was shooting up and everybody who tried to cover it or
stop it.. couldn’t!
Mrs. Sloop: It can’t be done.
David: And it never did. And my grandfather decided he was going to have an artesian well and spring
to supply the water to Farmington. So they hallowed out the woods and made a pipeline all the way up
the hill to where the tennis courts are now and then he pumped it by... there’s a name for a pump.. I can’t
recall, but anyhow he pumped the water down from the bottom up to a wooden cage about 6 feet wide,
round and about 4-5 feet high, sitting in the attic at Farmington. And the water was pumped through
that. And Wayne Hall took that thing out. It was a real relic! But that was how the water was pumped
from down there at the bottom to that and by gravity fed to the basins and things.
Mrs. Sloop: So they had early running water!
David: Yes, one of the first running systems in the county of Albemarle. It was right next to the Green.
About 50 feet from the Green.
Author: So you mentioned the boxwood garden or the maze, the figs, and a vegetable garden.
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David : Its where the tennis court is.
Author: The first four tennis courts to be built?
David: Yes, all that was the vegetable garden.
Author: What else do you recall?
David: If you go down the Dogwood Lane, here’s the end of Dogwood Lane right here, the second house
before you get to the end of the lane on the right, you don’t have to look very hard but you’ll see a tree, its a
Poplar tree. And when my dad was a kid, that’s before the 1900s, that Poplar tree was considered the largest
Poplar in the state of Virginia. It’s still there! When you’re driving down the road you’ll see it. The trunk is
about 40-50 feet. Its a mammoth tree!
Author: Wow, that’s incredible! That’s something to add to Farmington’s significance. I will go see it.
David: Do you know where 21 curves is? well you see from Barracks road all the way back to Lane entrance
road to Farmington.. on the right side of the road, 21 curves, was 75 acres and that was part of Farmington.
And 21 curves.. let me go and tell you.. my grandfather, Warner Wood, loved to bird hunt and a fella named
Billy Garth. They couldn’t get across Ivy Creek when the water was high. So they built 21 curves, it was
really nothing but a trail.
Mrs. Sloop: And now its a major thoroughfare.
Author: That’s very interesting and useful.
David: I have a very interesting collection of old photographs and things, I’ve kept them in boxes.. down
158
in the 4th floor and I have some.. I guess you would call them charts or sketches of Joseph Miller’s design

for the steam engine.. when he was putting it all together.
Mrs. Sloop: That’s amazing.
Author: Yeah! that’s amazing! I wish we could get to see them. I’ve seen some drawings at the At The
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library but maybe what you have is different.
Mrs. Sloop: I would be happy to help you sort them out, if you ever need help. I love boxes of old
treasures.
David: I will let you know if I do. Here’s a picture of my family.
Author: I know we took much of your time, but just want to make sure about something, can you
describe again the drive-way and the circle?
David: the driveway was where the driveway is now, coming from the entrance to Farmington. It came
in, ran into the small circle, they made it into a big circle now.. you can almost see the indentation on the
ground, on the big circle now... of the small one.
Author: So are you saying there was a street leading to the circle which was much smaller?
David: yes, that’s right. But most of that was for horses at the time, now its for cars.
Author: Aha, I see.. well, thank you so much Mr. David Wood. It was a real pleasure talking to you. I
hope you get to come to my presentation about Farmington’s landscape and get to read the final report.
David: Thank you Dania, the pleasure is mine.

159

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160

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Lay, Edward. New Architectural Discoveries at Farmington. Retrieved from Farmington Historical Society,
2012.
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Country Club Original Structures. Retrieved from Farmington Historical Society, 2015.
Lay, Edward K. The Architecture of Jefferson County. University of Virginia Press, 2000.
Thomasson, Kelly. Virginia the Gracious Commonwealth. Thomasson-Grant, Inc., 1987.
Twinleaf journal archives. Jefferson’s Horticultural Neighborhood: A Rational Society of Gardeners.

Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, 2007.
Rawlings, Mary. Ante-Bellum Albemarle, Albemarle County Virginia. The Peoples National Bank, 1935.
MacCubbin, Robert P. British and American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century. Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation, 1984.
Arnold Arboretum at Harvard. Colonial gardens. 1971.
Kelley, Kathleen M. Creating a Colonial Garden. The Pennsylvania State University, 2003.
Alexander, James. Early Charlottesville Recollections. Albemarle County Historical Society, 1972.
Miller, Philip. Gardeners Dictionary. Nabu Press, 2010.

164

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Morven, Princeton New Jersey. Springer, 1995. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25616352.
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165

Farmington Dania Khlaifat, 2019 GCV Rudy J. Favretti Fellow

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Farmington

“The epitome of Hospitality and good cheer”

The Fellowship Committee, Chair

16 Chapter 2 - Significance of Farmington

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Revolutionary War 1775 - 1783

20 Chapter 2 - Historic Overview

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Figure 9: Sketches of Farmington Hunt Club by Robert E. Lee Gildea, Jr.

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Figure 27: Illustrative sketch of the main structure at Farmington.

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Farmington - Garden Club of Virginia - Dania Khlaifat - 2019 Rudy J. Favretti

68 Chapter 3 - The Development of Farmington

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Michael Holland 4,365 acres

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