Blog Archives
Widow Kip’s Country Inn
“Historic home; cozy atmosphere; charming hosts; great breakfast; beautiful location….here is a combination that is sure to please everyone looking for a home away from home while in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.” –TripAdvisor Reviewer
Mount Jackson, Virginia provides a step back in time that is perfect for any history enthusiast, and no place reflects that rich history better than BBHSV member Widow Kip’s Country Inn. Widow Kip’s Country Inn is a restored Victorian home built in 1830 that boasts both elegance and history. Each of the five bedrooms—The Wildflower Room, The Morning Glory Room, The Marigold Room, The Hollyhock Room, and The Sweet William Room—are outfitted in history with everything from canopy beds to 1920s inlay furniture to empire dressers and antique armoires.
The inn itself is not the only history in the area, of course. If you’re staying at Widow Kip’s, then there are a few historic sites right down the road from your lodging:
The Virginia Museum of the Civil War– “The Virginia Museum of the Civil War (VMCW), Bushong Farm, and self-guided battlefield tour provide many opportunities to reflect upon the social and military struggle which changed the course of American history.” Explore artifacts and dioramas, battlefields, and stained glass windows that depict the war in the Shenandoah Valley.
Fisher’s Hill– Jubal Early’s Confederate army fought the Battle of Fisher’s Hill on September 21–22, 1864. They were defeated by the Union Army of the Shenandoah during a “scorched earth” invasion. You can now walk the battleground for yourself and explore what history has left behind.
Interested in staying at Widow Kip’s Country Inn? Click here to make your reservation.
Shrine of the South: Lee Chapel in Lexington, VA
With a bold spire, flared tower, and latticed windows, Lee Chapel in Lexington, VA certainly stands out against the classical design of the rest of the campus of Washington and Lee University. When its construction began in 1867, Robert E. Lee probably had no knowledge that in the year 2013, Lee Chapel would still be in use not only as a place of worship, but also as a museum and a final resting place for Lee and his family.
After his Civil War surrender at Appomattox in 1865, Robert E. Lee was offered the position of president of Washington College, which he accepted and fulfilled until his death five years later. “In his first ‘Report of the President’ dated June 1866, Lee requested that the Washington College board of trustees appropriate funds to build a larger chapel…The chapel, which Lee described as ‘a pleasing as well as useful addition to the College buildings,’ was dedicated on the morning of June 14, 1868” (Encyclopedia Virginia).
Fun, Fast Facts:
– Lee attended morning services at the chapel every day and then would walk downstairs to his basement office.
– Jubal A. Early, another former Confederate leader, made a speech at the chapel in 1872. This speech is credited as a “landmark event in the creation of the so-called Lost Cause view of the war” (Encyclopedia Virginia).
– Washington College was renamed Washington and Lee University after Lee’s death in 1870. (Shenandoah at War).
– Lee’s wife Mary is the one who made the decision to bury Lee at the chapel, where he was “interred in a vault in the chapel basement.”
If you are planning to visit the campus of Washington and Lee University and/or Lee Chapel, consider the following BBHSV members to suit all of your lodging needs: Brierley Hill, Fox Hill Bed and Breakfast, and A B&B at Llewellyn Lodge.
Widow Kip’s Country Inn
“Historic home; cozy atmosphere; charming hosts; great breakfast; beautiful location….here is a combination that is sure to please everyone looking for a home away from home while in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.” –TripAdvisor Reviewer
Mount Jackson, Virginia provides a step back in time that is perfect for any history enthusiast, and no place reflects that rich history better than BBHSV member Widow Kip’s Country Inn. Widow Kip’s Country Inn is a restored Victorian home built in 1830 that boasts both elegance and history. Each of the five bedrooms—The Wildflower Room, The Morning Glory Room, The Marigold Room, The Hollyhock Room, and The Sweet William Room—are outfitted in history with everything from canopy beds to 1920s inlay furniture to empire dressers and antique armoires.
The inn itself is not the only history in the area, of course. If you’re staying at Widow Kip’s, then there are a few historic sites right down the road from your lodging:
The Virginia Museum of the Civil War– “The Virginia Museum of the Civil War (VMCW), Bushong Farm, and self-guided battlefield tour provide many opportunities to reflect upon the social and military struggle which changed the course of American history.” Explore artifacts and dioramas, battlefields, and stained glass windows that depict the war in the Shenandoah Valley.
Fisher’s Hill– Jubal Early’s Confederate army fought the Battle of Fisher’s Hill on September 21–22, 1864. They were defeated by the Union Army of the Shenandoah during a “scorched earth” invasion. You can now walk the battleground for yourself and explore what history has left behind.
Interested in staying at Widow Kip’s Country Inn? Click here to make your reservation.
Shrine of the South: Lee Chapel in Lexington, VA
With a bold spire, flared tower, and latticed windows, Lee Chapel in Lexington, VA certainly stands out against the classical design of the rest of the campus of Washington and Lee University. When its construction began in 1867, Robert E. Lee probably had no knowledge that in the year 2013, Lee Chapel would still be in use not only as a place of worship, but also as a museum and a final resting place for Lee and his family.
After his Civil War surrender at Appomattox in 1865, Robert E. Lee was offered the position of president of Washington College, which he accepted and fulfilled until his death five years later. “In his first ‘Report of the President’ dated June 1866, Lee requested that the Washington College board of trustees appropriate funds to build a larger chapel…The chapel, which Lee described as ‘a pleasing as well as useful addition to the College buildings,’ was dedicated on the morning of June 14, 1868” (Encyclopedia Virginia).
Fun, Fast Facts:
– Lee attended morning services at the chapel every day and then would walk downstairs to his basement office.
– Jubal A. Early, another former Confederate leader, made a speech at the chapel in 1872. This speech is credited as a “landmark event in the creation of the so-called Lost Cause view of the war” (Encyclopedia Virginia).
– Washington College was renamed Washington and Lee University after Lee’s death in 1870. (Shenandoah at War).
– Lee’s wife Mary is the one who made the decision to bury Lee at the chapel, where he was “interred in a vault in the chapel basement.”
If you are planning to visit the campus of Washington and Lee University and/or Lee Chapel, consider the following BBHSV members to suit all of your lodging needs: Brierley Hill, Fox Hill Bed and Breakfast, and A B&B at Llewellyn Lodge.