restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations
Life on the Farm
In Mecklenburg County, Virginia, lies a quaint old farm. The countryside has abundant natural beauty and dozens of old homesteads. Below is the original farm house on our property, the oldest part of which dates back to about 1820. Of the nine outbuildings on the property, we think the oldest was built in the 1790s. Most of the farms 123 acres is covered with pine and hardwood forest. The cultivated fields supply hay for our horses and goats. The farm is serene, isolated, and peaceful, and we feel blessed beyond measure to have been granted stewardship of it by God.
In building Bryn Allyn (Pleasant Hill), our new house, we utilized wood from other structures, including the historic Renn House in North Carolina (pictured below). We purchased and cannibalized the lumber wainscoting, panels, beams, etc.to give our new house the old feeling we wanted.
Below stands Bryn Allyn, nearly completed. Weve been painting the porches and, inside, building the kitchen cabinetry and laying the floors. There are 10-foot ceilings throughout and period-looking moldings in each room to go with the five wood-burning fireplaces. In the back will go the new barn, stables, raised vegetable garden, and chicken coop.
Life is truly pleasant here. Our neighbors are friendly, gracious, always there when you need them. We enjoy the community, our church home, and the beauty of Gods nature. Plenty of turkey and deer in the winter, too!
Thank you for allowing us to share our joys with you. I hope to have more pictures soon!
July 10, 2003
David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.