Historic Garden Day | Preview Homes on the Lynchburg Tour

Each spring visitors are welcomed to some of the most beautiful homes, gardens and historic landmarks across the state during the Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week. The Lynchburg tour will be held Tuesday, April 26. This year’s self-driving tour, primarily in the heart of the Boonsboro neighborhood, offers something for every visitor. From a 1929 Tudor on historic Langhorne Road to a 1997 Scandinavian farmhouse nestled on 120 acres on the western edge of Boonsboro, visitors will experience a range of styles, in garden, architecture and decor. Gracious pools and patios, meandering woodland paths, and gardens rich with numerous native species are exterior highlights. 

Tour tickets also include a visit to Randolph College’s Dorothy Crandall Bliss Botanical Garden and a special floral exhibit at the college’s Maier Museum where talented local floral designers will interpret four different works of art. 

Proceeds support the restoration and preservation of Virginia’s historic gardens, landscapes and state parks. To purchase tickets, visit vagardenweek.org. For the most up-to-date local information, follow Historic Garden Week in Lynchburg on Facebook, and on Instagram (@historicgardenweeklynchburg).

236 Irvington Springs Road, Kaye and Ben Moomaw, owners.
Situated on 120 acres that was once the site of a working dairy farm, the Moomaw farmhouse was built in 1997 to accommodate a busy family of eight. While part of the property known as Irvington Spring Farm has welcomed tour visitors in the past, this is the first time the family’s home and personal garden has been showcased on Historic Garden Week.

1912 Quarry Road, Becky and Bobby O’Brian, owners.
Located on a quiet street, on land that was once a quarry, this elegant Cape Cod, built by Mr. O’Brian’s parents in the early 1950s, remains a loving family home. Tastefully decorated throughout and filled with an extensive collection of family antiques, portraits, and art from their travels, the homeowners have created a home that is both welcoming and highly functional for entertaining three generations of family and friends.

4941 Locksview Road, Lisa and Jim Richards, owners.
Based on the George Wythe House in Williamsburg, this home was designed by the homeowners and built in 1995. The two-story, brick Georgian honors colonial architecture while incorporating modern conveniences. An extensive display of paintings by Mrs. Richards, a skilled portrait, landscape, and botanical artist, provides a connection to the garden beyond. The homeowner’s artistic eye is evident in collections of porcelain as well as French and English antiques throughout the home.

1503 Langhorne Road, Manisha and Hunter Wynne, owners.
Gracefully situated on an estate lot, this Tudor house, built in 1928 as one of the first homes on Langhorne Road, opens its doors to Historic Garden Week for the third time. The home is an excellent example of this medieval style of architecture with its steeply pitched slate gabled roof. Asymmetry, handmade textured brick, embedded half timbers and a brick barrel arched entryway dominate the façade.

Randolph College Dorothy Crandall Bliss Botanical Garden
This delightful, informal botanic garden was the dream of Dorothy Crandall Bliss, former Professor of Biology at the college and native species enthusiast. Over 150 specimens thrive in the half-acre garden graced by a serene water lily pond.

Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College
Randolph College and members of both the Hillside and Lynchburg Garden Clubs, two of the 48 member clubs across Virginia that make up the Garden Club of Virginia, have collaborated to showcase a must-see exhibition of floral arrangements interpreting four selections from the private collection at the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College. ✦