We left off last week talking about the Anderson family. We will hop back over to the Robert Glasgow family this week. Later, we will talk about the Anderson family again. Robert Glasgow was the younger brother of Nancy Campbell of Adams County. Robert was born in 1792, the son of Arthur and Rebekah (McNutt) Glasgow. Robert married in 1821 to Catherine T. Anderson, daughter of Colonel William and Nancy Anderson.
As we said in last week’s column, Robert and Catherine were second cousins. Catherine was born on June 1, 1797, at the “Walnut Hill” plantation near Fincastle in Botetourt Co., Va. After their marriage, Robert built a new home on his father’s (Arthur Glasgow) homestead in what is now the town of Buena Vista, just three miles east of Lexington, Rockbridge County, Virginia. He called his new home “Green Forest”. The word Glasgow in the Scottish dialect means “Green Forest’”. It is not known when construction was started or how long it took to complete the house but it is generally believed that work was begun in the early 1800’s and some estimate it was under construction for about 10 years. Transportation was difficult in those days but Robert enjoyed one great advantage which was access to water transportation. The canal up the Maury (North) River brought many goods from the Tidewater section of the state. Robert had built water locks a few hundred yards from their front door which lent to easy access.
In the Rockbridge County News, November 15, 1933, Judge Joseph A. Glasgow, Robert’s grandson and then Judge of the Buena Vista and Rockbridge Circuit Courts, recalled happy memories of visiting his grandmother, who was then 90 years old, at Green Forest and of the packet boats as they passed up the canal. Judge Glasgow stated, “The sound of the boats still lingers in my memory, I remember how this little boy played over the green fields where is now located Buena Vista and waded in Chalk Mine Branch”. The home, made entirely of brick, originally had three large rooms and a hall on the first floor and the same number on the second floor. As was customary in those days all cooking was done in a huge fireplace in the basement and meals were carried by servants to the dining room. There was a cool cellar and root room for storing fruits and vegetables. Once fire damaged the rear of the house, however, doors, mantels, woodwork and bricks were saved.
Later, several additional rooms were built as well as a front porch and an upstairs back porch. The foundation is of native limestone. The outer walls, made of brick, are about 12 inches thick while the interior ones also of brick, are 18 to 20 inches wide. Each room was built separately and when placed side by side produced a doubly thick interior wall. The brick was undoubtedly made by slaves on the estate who also did all the work on the house. Massive joists and beams form the support for the floors and roof. Floors are the original ones and put together by the “tongue and groove” method. They are wide pieces of finished hardwood. Each room has a fireplace and all walls are of plaster except the dining room with its unusual cupboards and maple panels which are thought to have been imported. Mantels in the two living rooms are hand-carved and elaborate, some believe they were made in England and others think they are the work of skilled slaves.
Doorknobs and locks are perfectly preserved and attached to each lock is a small, brass coin-like button with a tag reading “Carpenter and Company” and below a crown trademark “Dieu et mon Droit,” (God and my right). These came from England in 1700 and are identical to those at Stratford, Robert E. Lee’s home. In the center of the newel post at the foot of the wide stairway is a brass screw which is said to signify complete harmony between the contractor and owner.
There are many beautiful shade trees on the lawn and among the unusual fruit trees there were two-pound apple trees, so called because of the large size of the fruit. They were cut down because of their age about 1940, during World War II when there was a need for wood to make guns. The Umholtz family living there at the time, sold a much-beloved walnut tree to the government for that purpose.
Robert and Catherine had nine children. We will delve into their lives next week. Robert died June 26, 1862, during the Civil War and Catherine died June 11, 1876. They are buried at the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington, Virginia.
