Farming and Freedom at Montgomery Hall

Farming and Freedom at Montgomery Hall. . , "...that Splendid Farm known as MONTGOMERY HALL." , 1871 newspaper advertisement for the sale of the property., Changes come to Montgomery Hall, John Howe Peyton died in 1847 and his wife Ann in 1850. Although the family continued to be prominent in the area, they soon left Montgomery Hall., At the time of their deaths, the Montgomery Hall holdings consisted of over 800 acres. In 1850, the mansion house and 300 acres were sold to William J. Shumate who continued to manage the estate as a prominent wheat farm. A few years later, what eventually became the C&O railroad passed through a portion of the farm making it much easier to get agricultural produce to market, receive goods, and travel., African American Community, Shumate relied on slave labor to operate his farm from 1850 until the end of the Civil War (1861-1865) when slavery was abolished. After the war, many of the freed families remained in the vicinity and built homes along the railroad. They found work as farm laborers, craftsmen, railroad workers, or with the many businesses and institutions in Staunton., An Agricultural Showcase, In 1871 the farm, now 150 acres, was sold. A newspaper advertisement for the sale described the farm thusly: , "...that Splendid Farm known as MONTGOMERY HALL, containing about 150 acres, and located immediately on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in the county of Augusta, one mile West of the City of Staunton. The land is fine limestone, well adapted to grass, and all the cereals...about 40 acres of this land are in orchards of select fruits.", Until the city purchased the estate for a "Negro" park, a series of wealthy owners continued the farm as a showcase of Shenandoah Valley agriculture. One of the owners bred fine horses, another operated a state-of-the art dairy., About 1913, a real estate sales booklet described Montgomery Hall as "the home of cultured, refined and wealthy people, who exercised the best judgment and taste in the improvement of the property.", (Captions):, In 1871 the Montgomery Hall farm was sold at public auction as is seen in this newspaper advertisement., This 1885 map shows the locale of the Montgomery Hall estate (bottom arrow) as well as the African American community that developed along the railroad just outside of the farm itself. It was well into the 20th century before the estate and community were annexed into the city of Staunton., In addition to the Montgomery Hall mansion itself, the farm included the house of the farmer overseeing agricultural operations, as well as two large barns., A view of the Montgomery Hall mansion house and several outbuildings around 1913.