The Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week is taking place across the commonwealth right now.
In Frederick County, four properties will be open for tours on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visitors will travel west of Winchester through rolling green hills to an area in Frederick County that was once part of Merryman Farm, according to a media release.
The tour features four private properties, situated off Merrimans Lane. Each home has been renovated at some point, adding beautiful features and practical updates. The homes sit on large acres in peaceful, rural settings. Enjoy stunning pools, charming gardens, unique homeowner collections, fine millwork, a caboose repurposed as a pool house, and even a herd of Longhorn cattle.
Visitors to this charming part of Virginia will also appreciate farmers’ markets, historic battlefields, excellent restaurants, and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, which is the tour headquarters, where admission is free with a tour ticket.
Homes on the tour
• Stony Acres: 1074 Merrimans Lane. Clark Cather, the great-uncle of Willa Cather, built this Federal-style brick home shortly after purchasing the original 240-acre tract in 1846. Over the years, the property changed hands numerous times. The current owners, or, as they prefer to be called, caretakers, have restored, improved, and refreshed the home, along with the mid-20th-century cupola-style caboose, which serves as a pool house.
Large rooms with high ceilings provide plenty of space for entertaining family and friends, while wide pine flooring and pine paneling add warmth to the main floor. Notable features include an interior servants’ staircase, six fireplaces, and a secret room, which was likely used during the Civil War, given the home’s proximity to several battles in Frederick County.
Favorite areas in the home include the porches, which the homeowners enclosed, and the elk room with its wood-burning fireplace. Near the pool, the current owners built a raised garden where they grow vegetables and fruit, including figs and assorted berries. Tall trees, including magnolia, maple, white oak, and dogwood, create a shield from the nearby golf course. Owners are Mike and Susan Perry.
• 202 Robinson Drive: Once part of the Robinson Apple Orchard, this five-acre property now features a brick home surrounded by carefully maintained gardens. The homeowners completed the Georgian Revival-style house in 2000, adding and modifying rooms over the years; notably, the intricate millwork seen throughout the home was made locally by their family-owned business.
In 2023, they added a spacious sunken atrium to the back of the house, which quickly became their favorite room thanks to its tall ceilings and large windows overlooking the backyard and side yard. Other updates include a pool with a Montauk slate surround and a side patio for morning coffee. The gourmet kitchen, primary bedroom, and primary bathroom were expanded and renovated. The landscaping, designed by the homeowners, features magnolia groves, formal gardens, crepe myrtle, hydrangea, boxwood, and viburnum. Since being born on a Navajo reservation due to her father’s work, the homeowner has collected a wide array of Southwest Native American arts and crafts, which are displayed in a room off the entryway, some of which are housed in custom cabinetry. Owners are Robert and Laurie Frogale.
• 143 Fox Meadow Lane: Parceled off from the expansive Cloverdale Farm in 1949, this 16-acre property has had several owners since. Built as a brick ranch home in 1951, several large additions have been made over the years, including a spacious game and family room with a bar, used for parties with family and friends.
Also added were a new primary bedroom, a portico, and a large kitchen with seating area and view of the formal meditation garden, making this room a favorite gathering place for food and conversation. In 2010, a study and a well-equipped gym were added to the north end of the home. Special architectural features include tray and vaulted ceilings, Brazilian cherry floors, custom woodwork, and four working fireplaces.
Collections of the homeowners include antique firearms, ancient pottery from Central America, and restored vintage cars, some of which will be on display. An adjoining 20-acre pasture corrals a herd of Longhorn cattle in double fencing, adding interest to the property. Expansive landscaped grounds include patios, planting beds, and a poolside limestone fireplace, creating a rural retreat for the homeowners. Owers are Dave and Kathy Holliday.
• 201 Fox Meadow Drive: Perched atop a knoll at the end of a winding, oak-lined drive, this classic white clapboard Colonial evokes timeless Virginia charm. Although it could have been built at any time in the past two centuries, it dates to 1986 and was later remodeled by the current owners to reflect a more relaxed lifestyle and create an open floor plan. The interior combines historic character with modern comfort.
Traditional rooms have been transformed into bright, connected living spaces, centered around a kitchen featuring an expansive walnut-topped island, making them ideal for family gatherings and easy entertaining. French doors lead to a wide covered porch overlooking manicured gardens, a raised stone-faced pool, a fire pit, and extensive hardscape terraces designed for year-round enjoyment.
In the north wing, exposed mortise-and-tenon-joined oak beams were reclaimed from a Nantucket cabin. The windows showcase nature-filled views of flowering trees, rolling pastures, and the distant expanse of a 1,600-acre working farm, offering privacy and serenity while keeping town conveniences just minutes away. Each spring, more than 10,000 daffodils and thousands of Virginia bluebells bloom across the hillside in a vibrant display of color. Nearby stands a family cannon commissioned by the wife’s father. Once capable of firing a six-pound cannonball half a mile, it is now used only for powder salutes during family celebrations.
Tour headquarters
Headquarters for the tour is the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 901 Amherst St., Winchester. Historic Glen Burnie was built in 1794 by Robert Wood, son of the founder of Winchester, James Wood. Julian Wood Glass, a descendant of James Wood, acquired the property in 1952 and during the latter half of the 20th century set out to preserve the home and improve the surrounding property with the elaborate gardens seen today.
The seven-acre gardens are both impressive and intimate. Boxwood parterres and knot gardens, vegetable and spring gardens combined with the Asian-inspired water and bamboo gardens delight visitors as they stroll the property. These spectacular gardens and historic home form the center of a 90-acre park that is filled with walking trails and the arts and cultural center that is the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Tickets
Purchase online at GCVirginia.org/historic-garden-week. Advance ticket sales $40 online or at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley or Kimberly’s at the corner of Braddock and Piccadilly streets in downtown Winchester.
Ticket sales on the day of the tour are $50 online or at tour headquarters.
Children’s tickets $15 online only, ages 5-17; children under five are free. Strollers are not permitted on tour properties.
No tickets sold at homes.
Tour email: winchester@vagardenweek.org
More about Historic Garden Week: https://gcvirginia.org/historic-garden-week/
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