Biography of Place Essay

Sarah Hunt

WRTG 1150

March 2, 2015

The Farm Through My Eyes

My biography of place describes the history, land and meaning behind Westmoreland Berry Farm and Orchard.  In order to make a biography about a place, I discuss the past, present and future of the land that is now the farm.  It’s a place that has been in my family since before I was born and somewhere I am lucky enough to visit every time I go home to Northern Virginia.  Sharing the story of my family’s farm is very important to me as you may see after reading this essay.

Every place has history, the farm and the land surrounding the farm has a significant amount of history dating all the way back to the 1600’s.  During this time, Captain John Smith traveled up the Rappahannock River, arrived on the Northern Neck, and became one of the first known Europeans to visit the area.  In the Colonial Period, rich planters brought in slaves and started tobacco plantations in the area because of the excessive amount of natural resources coming from the rivers surrounding the peninsula. The first President, George Washington’s birthplace is located in the area, where people can still visit his home. Along with Washington, President James Madison and Confederate commander during the American Civil War, Robert E. Lee was also born in the area. Stratford Hall, the home of the Lee family can still be visited as well. On one side of the peninsula is the Potomac River, which was controlled by the Union during the American Civil War and on the other side of the peninsula is the Rappahannock that was controlled by the confederates during the war. This led to the peninsula being used as a place for spies from both sides to stay throughout the war. In 1865, after John Wilkes Booth and David Herold killed President Lincoln, the two escaped and were caught just outside the farm. More recently, the Northern Neck has become a tourist attraction because of its beaches, swimming and gambling. The gambling is interesting because it is illegal in Virginia, however the water belongs to Maryland, so there are piers built out into the water with casinos on the end.

History of the Farm: 

Located on the Northern Neck is Westmoreland Berry Farm, a place very dear to my heart.  While building a house at the end of the farm, my grandfather and the men building the house came across evidence of history on our plot of land specifically. Underneath the dirt, they found parts of Indian bones, chards from pottery, and many arrowheads. All evidence that multiple indigenous tribes ounce lived on the land that is now the farm, however it is known that one of these tribes was the Pissasek Indian Village. Also on the farm is evidence of an old plantation home that is believed to have been a brick making facility.  More recent history of the farm includes Alan Voorhees, my grandfather, purchasing the 1600 acres in 1979.  It wasn’t until four years later that her opened the land to the public as a berry farm.  After starting the farm, Alan donated 700 of the acres to the Nature Conservancy of Virginia, in honor of his wife, in order to protect the historic land.

The feeling that everyone gets when arriving at a special place such as a beach, his or her parents home, or wherever it might be is almost indescribable. That’s the feeling I get after the hour and a half drive from McLean Virginia to Westmoreland Berry Farm. After turning off of the state route and on to Berry Farm Lane, the gravel road is lined with fields of apple and peach trees. Whether the fruit is in season or not, it creates an overwhelming calmness. Driving slowly on the gravel road, careful not to stir up too much dirt because it would disrupt the fruit, the excitement grows and eventually the Berry Barn appears. The Berry Barn is located at the top of a hill, looking over the entire farm. Fields and fields of berries is all that’s seen, surrounded by the Rappahannock River. Continuing down the road, lined with fields of fresh berries, our house white house appears at the end of the peninsula, surrounded by the Rappahannock River.

Along with being a family business, the farm is also a place that holds our family, extended family and friends together. Family events have occurred at the farm since way before I was born. I remember growing up; my grandfather hosted an annual party for all of his co-workers, friends and family. The event was always relaxed; the kids could go out on the water and jump on the water trampoline or sit on the pontoon boat and talk. While the adults were up on the land, enjoying wine and catered barbeque pork, coleslaw, salad and bread rolls. The only wedding I’ve been in happened at the farm. My uncle got married at the tip of the peninsula and my sister and I were flower girls, I was 6 years old. I remember all the adults having beers and being loud and in the morning, my sister and I took a kayak to the pontoon boat, which my uncle and aunt had slept on, and brought them breakfast. At the time, we didn’t realize that it might not be a good idea to wake up the couple the morning after their wedding. In High School, my entire club soccer team went to the farm every August for preseason and we ran a mile in the morning, had three more sessions of running throughout the day, and in between we went out on the water to jet ski and tube. Virginia in August is humid and hot, making this week of training seems like the most miserable experience, but it wasn’t. The running was hard and exhausting but every person on the team wanted to go back because there’s something about the farm that creates a bond and a feeling of appreciation and comfort.  Although the larger events at the farm are always fun, it’s the little things at the farm that really make it special to me. I remember being out on the water as a young kid jumping of the boat or kayaking and looking up to the house to see my grandmother and grandfather watching us from the porch with a glass of wine in hand. I would show off and jump off the boat some more. In the morning, around 6 a.m. my grandfather let out a long and loud yawn to wake everyone up. Every evening since I can remember we go up to the Berry Barn and “ raid” the ice cream. There are many flavors and we choose whatever flavor we want. At almost 23, I still do this and will continue to do so with the same excitement as when I was 4. Another small aspect of the farm that is important to me is riding the ATV through acres and acres of fields, picking berries and fixing the ATV when it breaks down in the middle of nowhere. It’s a freedom that at 8 years old is extremely rare to have. The farm provides me with that freedom and responsibility as I can go explore the land on my own, often nearly driving into a spider web or over a snake. Even in the stormiest days, we sit on the porch and watch the storm roll in over the water and sit on the porch as lightning and thunder surrounds us. One special moment for my family and me occurred at the farm when we spread my grandfather’s ashes. We walked down to the very end of the peninsula to the gazebo and filled our wine glasses with the ashes of my grandfather and spread them in the Rappahannock, one of the most meaningful experiences of my life, adding to the importance of Westmoreland Berry Farm.

Westmoreland Berry Farm has a large historical past, a beautiful present, and a lot of hope for the future. One day I hope to be involved in the business at the farm to continue the Voorhees legacy that is Westmoreland Berry Farm. Being able to bring my kids to the farm and giving them what the farm has given me is a dream of mine. Currently my parents are working on changing land ordinances in order to start a brewery on the farm, start growing our own hops and infuse the beer with our berries. I look forward to the future of the farm and enjoying it with my own family one day.

Citations:

 "Westmoreland Berry Farm." Westmoreland Berry Farm. 1 June 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://www.westmorelandberryfarm.com/index.php?route=common/home>.

"The Northern Neck." Northern Neck Tourism Commission. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://www.northernneck.org/?page_id=17>.

"Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society." Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nnvhs.org>.