When I lived in Charlottesville, I used to love exploring around the fringes of the town on the Rivanna Trail. On one occasion I was scouting out my next jogging route and noticed a huge, mysterious house through the woods on top of the hill behind the University of Virginia (UVA) campus. I asked around and no one seemed to know who lived there or whether it had any connection to the rest of the town. Even on Google Maps, it somehow reminded me of the kind of place Scooby Doo and the gang would encounter a spooky monster.
Having moved away from Charlottesville, I forgot about the mysterious house until recently when I had a strange dream about it. This inspired me to do a bit of research. Based on gisweb.albemarle.org, I found out the current owner Lewis Mountain LLC obtained from previous owner Everett Lee Campbell (an MD in TX?) in 2010, who inherited it from Julia Courtenay Campbell. Here is her obituary. It seems their application to have it recognized as a historic landmark was successful. This also shows the house was designed in 1909 and built in 1912. And through that I found a couple of fascinating articles describing the history of the house:
- http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2006/11/hoos-house/
- http://www.c-ville.com/Lewis_Mountain_House_not_for_sale_it_will_stay_in_the_family/#.UVT3D1ckTTo
The process of learning more about the idiosyncrasies of our local surroundings is such a delight. It reminds me of William Blake’s poem, “To see a world in a grain of sand…”. I hope the folks living there don’t mind my curiosity. I would not wish for anyone to intrude upon their personal sanctuary. However, such an impressive structure, in such an unusual location, deserves to have its story told.
May 3, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Will! I just saw your picture with your lovely bride in the alumni magazine! I am so thrilled. What a perfect match. This was the best I could do to track you down. Congratulations! Teresa (your freshman adviser)
December 2, 2013 at 12:43 am
Will. A childhood buddy grew up in the house, and I spent many weekends there as a child during the mid ’60s to mid ’70s. The main entry to the house was at the back where there was a circular drive. Once past a small foyer you were in a huge great room with double marble fireplaces and huge Persian rugs. Portraits of the Mr and Mrs Campbell were on either side of one fireplace. A large stairway was to the left. The stairway led to a large landing with a balcony, and then another short flight of stairs led to a large open area with doors leading to five bedrooms. There were additional bedrooms on the third floor. Weekends were spent building forts, shooting, or swimming in the small icy pool. Sometimes we would play in the antique Minerva automobile the owner garaged on site. We also used a bidet to see how high the water would shoot into the air. At birthdays, a piñata was hung from the porta cochere. Lunches were formally served by the butler, Mitchell, in the small dining room, with various dishes presented to each of us. The large dining room probably sat thirty or more guests. The house was very much a home, and though looking back it all seems very grand, at the time, it was just my friends home, and it was a fun place to visit. I most connect Lewis Mountain with Julia Campbell, who was raised in South Carolina, but who lived in the home for over 50 years. I count her as one of the nicest women I have ever known. She would host luncheons for her female friends several times a week at Farmington, always wearing a wide brimmed hat – her trademark. She drove Cadillac Sedan de Ville’s and, up or down the mountain, she would toot the car’s horn to alert anyone heading the opposite direction. She would express delight at the most simple things someone might say and remark ‘Oh goody!’ I last saw her in June 2006, two years prior to her death. She did not seem to have changed from the portrait of her that graced the center great room. Twinkling eyes, very fair skin, chestnut hair held up at the back of her head and with wisps of stray hair at her temples. An engaging smile. And, always with a wonderful South Carolina accent. Hope this takes so e of the mystery out of a nice home, lived in by just very nice people.
December 2, 2013 at 7:35 pm
What a fascinating story! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I’m glad to know about your memories of a delightful childhood in such an interesting place.