By Tom Perry
The large flagpole at Laurel Hill, J. E. B. Stuart’s Birthplace, near the house site, was a gift from Larry and Pat Beeson many years ago. It flies the Second National flag of the Confederacy during the Civil War Encampment every October, as that was the flag when J. E. B. Stuart died on May 12, 1864.
Around the flagpole are markers honoring those who have contributed to the preservation of the Laurel Hill Farm. The first was a marker to my parents, Erie Meredith and Betty Hobbs Perry, for all they did in the early 1990s in the preservation effort. My parents’ efforts are noted in the last chapter of my book, “The Dear Old Hills of Patrick:” J. E. B. Stuart and Patrick County, Virginia. They lived long enough to be present when the marker was placed during the Civil War Encampment, and my mother’s dementia had not set in, so she was aware that her work was being honored.
The day my parents were honored, John Broughton, then the President of the J. E. B. Stuart Preservation Trust, Inc., gave some kind remarks. John is honored with a marker of his own, as during his time running the 501 (c) (3) organization, the organization turned a cow pasture into a park worthy of its status on the Virginia and National Registers of Historic Places. John came to me, and we worked together on a plan to install interpretation, trails, and other facilities to make the site more visitor friendly.
In 1990, I went to Joe Bill and Edith Brown and asked them to give the Stuart Trust an option to purchase 70 acres of the Laurel Hill Farm for $60,000. We made a deal leaning over the back of Joe Bill’s truck, having a cold beer in his driveway. To their credit, Joe Bill and Edith held off on other offers to purchase the property and kept their word to me, saying, “It is what Uncle Shug and Aunt Icy wanted.” George Elbert “Sug pronounced Shug, and Icy Bowman Brown had owned the property for most of the twentieth century and always wanted it to become a park to preserve the history surrounding the Stuart Family. The four members of the Brown Family are honored with a Mount Airy granite plaque, like the others surrounding the flagpole.
Finally, there is a plaque honoring the original board members of the Stuart Trust. In 1990, the Trust was formed for the express purpose of purchasing a 75-acre tract of land formerly owned and occupied by Archibald and Elizabeth Stuart. One of their children later attained fame as “Jeb” Stuart, the storied commander of the Army of Northern Virginia’s cavalry. The tract of land, although just a small portion of the original fifteen hundred acres that comprised the Stuart plantation, contained all of the essential remnants of the Stuart occupancy. The Trust’s stated goals were to restore, protect, and interpret the property for public edification.
“Following the vision of George and Icy Brown and a later proposal by the Patrick County Bicentennial Commission in 1976, the idea to preserve Stuart’s Birthplace was presented to a local Civil War Roundtable by Tom Perry. It was that Roundtable from which the original Board of Directors came. On June 26, 1990, the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust Inc. was formed. It is on the shoulders of the dedicated individuals listed below that all subsequent members of the board now stand: Thomas D. Perry, Hugh A. White Jr., Clarence Richard East, Jerry W. Wilson, Gary A. Birkett, Kenton H. Oliver, and John D. Garrison.”
Money was raised by public subscription to purchase the original Stuart property. Since then, much progress has been made in improving and interpreting the property. From the extensive archaeological study of the property by the College of William and Mary to its inclusion on the Virginia Landmark Register and the National Register of Historic Places, the Trust has been an outstanding example of what can be accomplished by ordinary citizens from all walks of life who were unwilling to permit an important segment of our historical heritage to be lost.
The Trust Board of Directors are all volunteers and serve without compensation of any kind, save the personal satisfaction that comes from knowing they have contributed to the preservation of an important historic site. The Trust is supported entirely by its membership’s contributions, without whom it could not operate. The Trust is organized under IRS regulations as a 501 (c)(3) organization, and all contributions to it are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Tom Perry can be reached at freestateofpatrick@yahoo.com, and the J. E. B. Stuart’s website is www.jebstuart.org.
