This column is an extension of Past Lane Travel, the #1 history and travel blog in the USA.
I visited Laburnum, the home of Mosby Ranger Joseph Bryan many years ago, but never published the pictures I took. I thought others might want get a peek inside this Richmond mansion that is located on private property.
These are never-before-seen photos of a house that is not accessible to the public. I hope you enjoy!
The house was built in 1908 after the former Laburnum burned down.
Inside The House
Want to check out the inside? It’s breathtaking!
As you can see from the photo above, six imposing limestone columns support the two-story front portico on this home that encompasses 50 rooms, 17 baths, and an electric elevator
Beautiful wood paneling and a marble fireplace can be found in the library, but just look at that ceiling!
This is the first room to the left when you walk in the front door and through the small foyer. Lots of entertainment went on this room including many dignitaries from the 20th century. (Like Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Lady Astor).
The Foyer
I jumped ahead because I LOVE that library, but here is what you see in the foyer of this mansion.
The piano is old, but not necessarily original to the house. The first floor is now used for classrooms.
Let’s Go Upstairs
In his memoirs, Joseph Bryan III recalled his childhood growing up among grandparents, parents, unmarried uncles, “and assorted relatives, friends, servants and dogs.”
The second and third stories are all bedrooms and they all have fireplaces, some of which are very elaborate.
One can imagine the family gathering on the rear terrace, where they would have viewed acres of gardens and outbuildings on the magnificent estate.
That landscape was lost when the Richmond Memorial Hospital was built in the 1950s on land donated by John Stewart, the son of Joseph.
Joe Bryan died in this house in 1908, less than a year after it was built.
His life story is an interesting one. After the Civil War he was penniless, but earned a law degree and went on to become the publisher and owner of the Richmond newspaper.
In addition to his widespread business associations, Bryan was very active in local charities and foundations. He donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to libraries, social societies, churches and schools without distinction to sects.
After his unexpected death, a monument was dedicated to honor his service and contributions to the city of Richmond (which are too numerous to mention). A prayer offered at the service, sums it up:
“Never before in this State has such a concourse of people met to show their grief at the death of any private citizen… Around his open grave there gathered the country man and the city man, the colored man and the white man, the rich man and the poor man. .. A private citizen, who could so stir the hearts of this community by his death, who could elicit such a tribute of sorrow from all ranks of the people, must have been no ordinary man.”
History Wiped Away
If you want to visit the monument to Joseph Bryan, you can’t.
The monument paying tribute to this very charitable citizen (who employed more than 3,000 people), was torn down by the city of Richmond because he served in the Confederate army when he was 18 years old.
You can however visit the Joseph Bryan Park that was built on 266 acres of land donated by his family. It is an oasis of wildlife and greenery surrounded by urban sprawl and moral decay. Hopefully people take the time to learn about the man whose name it bears.
The Wrap-Up
It is such a privilege to have had the opportunity to stand inside the house where such a great man once lived.
The Bryans felt that Virginia’s history offered inspiring role models, values and traditions, and they strongly believed that the teachings of the past could guide the future. Yet in all of their generosity and compassion neither Joseph Bryan or his equally-benevolent wife sought reward.
Read more about Joseph Bryan here.
In fact, Bryan is quoted in his biography as saying: “Of earthly things, my highest ambition is to live and die as becomes a Virginia gentleman.”