Historic Landscape

Historic Landscape. Rippon Lodge Historic Site. , This historic landscape has transformed a great deal since the construction of the Lodge for Richard Blackburn in the 18th century., Situated between the bank of Neabsco Creek and the King's Highway, (Route 1), the site originally had gardens, farm, and forest adorning the land. Paintings by Benjamin Latrobe in 1796 illustrated the site as Richard and his son, Thomas Blackburn, knew it. By the early 20th century, Wade and Dessie Ellis installed the ornamental gardens seen today, including an American Elm tree, boxwoods, fruit orchard, coffee, oak and walnut trees, and a variety of flowers., A Virginia Garden Club member, the Ellis' home was featured multiple times during Virginia's Historic Garden Week. Rippon Lodge remained a working farm until the 1950s. The last owner, Admiral Richard Blackburn Black, kept livestock such as black angus cattle and sheep present on the grounds., Today, visitors may enjoy spectacular views of Neabsco Creek and the Potomac River, lush plant life, birds, the historic cemetery for the Blackburn and Atkinson families, nature trails, and more., The photographs on the marker include the following captions, in order of appearance, from top to bottom:, Left: This early photograph show Rippon appeared in circa 1921, Right: Dessie Ells of Rippon Lodge enjoying the picturesque view of Neabsco Creek and the Potomac River, circa 1930. , Image from the Historic Preservation Division Collection, Benjamin H. Latrobe painted Rippon Lodge, the house of Colonel Thomas Blackburn a 1796. This is the earliest known image of this location. , Rippon Lodge is the large building on the far right, behind a wood cabin, which would have been a kitchen. The image of the ca. 1747 house records how it looked before Thomas Blackburn enlarged it around 1800.