History of Edgewood

Sandra F. Esposito

 2005

Edgewood, built by Arthur B. Davies, in 1818 was intended to be an exceptional house as he spared little expense on its construction, thus acquired the name of “Arthur’s Folly”.  It is built on a knoll that overlooks the two historic main roads through the town of Amherst.  It is a large house and was fashionable especially with the use of hand painted murals to resemble popular imported wallpaper of the era.  The house, already known as Edgewood, served as home to many prominent attorneys of the town, including Jesse A. Higginbotham.  Higginbotham, who died in 1849, wished to leave a legacy of education for the town and willed money  to begin a school within sight of his home.  In 1851, the trustees for the school and Higginbotham’s widow, Elvira, decide the best site for the school is Higginbotham’s house.  The house also served as the local Masonic Hall  and it was, eventually,  the meeting place for the newly formed Methodist congregation.  It continued serving as a school, lodge and church until sometime during the period of the civil war when the Masonic Lodge purchased land closer to the Courthouse on Main Street and Higginbotham Academy, Clinton Lodge and Courthouse Methodist Church moved to this new location.  Another attorney, Taylor Berry, who was also a trustee for the Higginbotham Academy acquires the house; the house remained in his family, passed down through the daughters, until 1995.  It was sold at auction and restoration began and continues.[1]

The Edgewood property was originally part of the 1743 patent owned by Carter Braxton, grandson of Robert “King” Carter of Corotoman.  He sold the property in 1775 to Gabriel Penn who, in turn, sold the exact property to George Coleman in 1782.   George Coleman, at the time of his death in 1787, owned approximately 600 acres, most of the town of  Amherst.   In 1807 the county of Nelson was formed and a new site for the Amherst County Courthouse is needed.  This site is the land owned by the Coleman family.  The heirs of George sell to the county, in 1809, two acres of land in front of the family home, Mountainview, near to the stage road as the site for the new courthouse. After the sale the remaining land was divided between his heirs;  two of his sons received the land, Lindsay owned the north part of town from the courthouse and Reuben owned the south part from the courthouse.[2]

    In 1818 James Powell, who bought the land from Reuben Coleman, sold the exact 168 ¾ acres to Arthur B. Davies.  Davies was the son of Nicholas Clayton Davies who was a large land settler in the county.  Arthur B. Davies (c.1792-1853) was an attorney who became Clerk of the Amherst Court. 

He spent much money in the creation of the house, so much that oral tradition says the house was known as “Arthur’s Folly.”  He is the owner responsible for the murals in the east parlor of the house.  Davies sold the house in 1842 and by 1850 he is listed as a farmer, no longer living in town.[3]

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    John Thompson, Jr., another attorney, Clerk of Court and large landowner in Amherst bought the house in 1842.  In 1848 John Thompson, Jr., and wife Caroline sell a 42-acre parcel of the 168 ¾ acres to Jesse Alexander Higginbotham.  Higginbotham was born in 1822 to Reuben and Lucretia Vaughan Higginbotham.  He was schooled at Yale and University of Virginia and became an attorney.  In 1848 he married Elvira McClelland Bruce Henry (1829-1874) who was the granddaughter of Patrick Henry.  Jesse contracts tuberculosis and dies in 1849 without an heir.  He left a will that stating that a $2000 trust to be administered by Samuel Meredith Garland (attorney and son of David Shepherd Garland of The Brick House, Clifford, Virginia) and John Thompson, Jr. (former owner of Edgewood) be used for “erecting in some suitable location, in sight of my house at Amherst Court House, a building to be used on basement story as a school room or academy and above as a Masonic Hall by the Clinton Lodge, to which I belong.”[4]

The Clinton Lodge in Amherst was chartered in 1847 and their records state that until 1850 they met at the Courthouse.[5]

                On 7 February 1850 the Higginbotham Academy was established by the General Assembly of Virginia.  The land chosen for the school was his  former home.  Elvira, Jesse’s widow,  partitions this land and sells 35 acres and 38 square perches of 42 acres to John Thompson Jr.; the remaining land, 6 acres, 3 roods, and 4 perches which is the house and surrounding outbuildings is deeded to the trustees if the Higginbotham Academy (Samuel M. Garland, Robert M. Brown, William W. Thompson, David H. Tapscott, William E. Coleman, Benjamin Brown, Jr., and Leonard Daniel, Jr.).  The academy is in operation and advertised in 1852; however little information is known about the academy.  In 1865 Taylor Berry is appointed to the trustees replacing James P. Coleman upon his death.  In 1867, a lot of land on the corner of West Court Street and Main Street was conveyed to the trustees of the Higginbotham Academy who also represented the Clinton Lodge No. 73 and the Methodist Episcopal Church South or Court House Church for use as a school, lodge and church.  The last information found on Higginbotham Academy occurs in 1873 as a case in Chancery court concerning payment of tuition in Allen vs. the Trustees of Higginbotham Academy.  This case was dismissed.  It is uncertain if the academy still operated at the time; however by 1888 the school is no longer listed in the town.[6]

    The Methodist Episcopal Church South or Court House Church was established sometime between 1860 and 1863 and was using “Higginbotham Hall” as a meeting place.[7]

    The building on West Court and Main streets used as lodge, church and school burned about 1870 and a new church now known as Emmanuel Methodist was built on Courthouse Square.  This church moved from the Courthouse Square location to the north end of town in 1965 where worship continues today.[8]

The Clinton Lodge moved north to the other corner of West Court and Main Street where the present building dedicated in 1942 is still in use.[9]

It is sometime around the Civil War (1861-1865) that Taylor Berry comes to occupy Edgewood house.  No official deed from the trustees of Higginbotham Academy to Taylor Berry exists.   The only recorded sale of land from the academy occurs in an 1875 deed where Taylor Berry purchases 1 ¼ acre of land from John J. Shrader and within the deed it is noted that Shrader bought the land from the trustees of the Academy, no date is given for this purchase but this particular parcel of land lies between Taylor Berry’s house and a mill.[10] 

    Taylor Berry (1837-1896) was a prominent attorney who served as President of the Bank, as noted in the Chataigne Business Directory of 1888-1889, and later became a judge in the county courts.  When he died in 1895 his will stated that his estate was to be divided  in equal portions to his wife Mary Jane Irving and their seven children.[11]

In 1828 a decree from the Amherst County Circuit Court grants special warranty to Mrs. Mary B. Harrison, 18 acres and the mansion.  The house remained in the Berry family, passed through daughters until the final Berry descendant, Beverly Randolph Harrison Webster Pace Kubik Hancock, the great-great granddaughter of Taylor Berry died in 1995.  Her will states that she was to be buried with her sons Julien and Benjamin Kubik on the property should the family retain the house otherwise she and the sons should be reinterred at the Amherst Town Cemetery and if the family does not wish to retain the house it should be sold at public auction. [12]

Local businessman John Patteson, Jr. purchased the house at auction in 1995 and began restoration on the home.  In 1999 the current owners, Dr. Duncan C. Augustine and his wife, Janice, purchased the home and continue restoration.  Dr. Augustine, in 1999,  found the original slate walkway, which extended from the front portico to the corner of Main and Garland (formerly Old Stage Road) Streets, two important thoroughfares of the early nineteenth century.[13]

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