Long-time and very dear friends recently came to me with the request that I do a painting of an old home on their property in Louisa County east of Charlottesville, Virginia. The estate began as a King’s Grant of 2,000 acres in the early 1700s to George Webb, who sold part of it to William Ragland Jr. William and his wife Agnes built a small two-story home on the land between Foster’s Creek and Camp Creek about 1775. William died in 1792 with Agnes following in 1807. The home then went to their son William until his passing in 1850.

Kenmuir, just fifty yards west of the Ragland House was built in 1853 by Wellington Gordon, who had acquired the property.  He was the son of the Gordon family who lived at Kenmore Plantation near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Gordon named his home Kenmuir after his family’s ancestral castle in Scotland.

This Victorian house has Gothic motifs of double front gables and diamond pane windows on all three levels in the front.  Shortly after completing his new home, Gordon used it as the site of his Green Springs Academy, a school to prepare boys for admission to the nearby University of Virginia.

Oil on Linen Canvas 14″ x 22″ 2012

Raglands and Kenmuir are now privately owned.

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