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| The John Tayloe Emery family at Mount Airy |
I discovered this amazing family house, called Mount Airy , in Virginia- near Warsaw- it was the first Neo Palladian Villa to be built in the pre Civil War colonies- sitting on 1,600 acres- and amazingly still owned by the 10th generation of Tayloe descendants!
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| Dining Room, Mount Airy |
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| Orangery ruins, Mount Airy |
This Orangery- "in ruins", is what inspired me the most from looking at various images of Mount Airy- the romantic nature of an old orangery cannot be overstated. I recall reading how (decorator) Billy Baldwin was entranced by one of these at Wye House- an old plantation owned by relatives of Pauline Potter - later the Baroness de Rothschild-.
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| Mount Airy facade (flanking wings not shown) |
Tayloe Emery, who now lives in Mount Airy with his young family, has an interesting background working with non profits to direct celebrities towards helping impoverished Africans- an interesting note since these old farms were sustained by slaves prior to the War Between The States-. Similar to owners of Stately Homes in Britain and Europe, the family resides here while also making the house and grounds available for tours, events, and weddings- portending a most promising future for this important piece of our nations history. DF
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