Near Ararat in Patrick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Stuart Kitchen
Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, April 21, 2012
1. The Stuart Kitchen Marker
Inscription.
The Stuart Kitchen. . On this site, stood the outbuilding that served as the kitchen for the Stuart family. As was the custom in those days kitchens were housed in buildings separate from the main dwelling for protection against a fire that might erupt as a result of cooking. Ironically, the fire that destroyed the Stuart home at Laurel Hill was not the result of a kitchen fire. After the fire that destroyed the Laurel Hill home in the winter of 1847-48, members of the Stuart household were forced to seek accommodations elsewhere. In a letter dated March 25, 1848 from Wytheville, Virginia, J. E. B. Stuart writes to his cousin Alexander Stuart Brown that "I went to Patrick County and stayed there until that sad disaster of having our house burnt (which I expect you have heard of) happened." In that same letter he writes that his mother and his youngest sister, Victoria, have gone to Floyd County to spend the summer, and another sister, Columbia, has gone to Pittsylvania County. Further, he writes "John Stuart (his older brother) stayed with Dr. Headen studying medicine until our house was burnt and then came home and he and Pa are now keeping house in the kitchen." It is unclear how long John Dabney Stuart and his father Archibald used this kitchen as their domicile, however the Stuarts remained at Laurel Hill until 1859. ,
This sign is a gift of , Nicholas K. and Janice Epperson of Ararat, VA , In Memory of Nathaniel Davis Hill C.S.A and , Nicholas D. Epperson, June 29, 1862, C.S.A. .
On this site, stood the outbuilding that served as the kitchen for the Stuart family. As was the custom in those days kitchens were housed in buildings separate from the main dwelling for protection against a fire that might erupt as a result of cooking. Ironically, the fire that destroyed the Stuart home at Laurel Hill was not the result of a kitchen fire. After the fire that destroyed the Laurel Hill home in the winter of 1847-48, members of the Stuart household were forced to seek accommodations elsewhere. In a letter dated March 25, 1848 from Wytheville, Virginia, J. E. B. Stuart writes to his cousin Alexander Stuart Brown that "I went to Patrick County and stayed there until that sad disaster of having our house burnt (which I expect you have heard of) happened." In that same letter he writes that his mother and his youngest sister, Victoria, have gone to Floyd County to spend the summer, and another sister, Columbia, has gone to Pittsylvania County. Further, he writes "John Stuart (his older brother) stayed with Dr. Headen studying medicine until our house was burnt and then came home and he and Pa are now keeping
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house in the kitchen." It is unclear how long John Dabney Stuart and his father Archibald used this kitchen as their domicile, however the Stuarts remained at Laurel Hill until 1859.
This sign is a gift of
Nicholas K. & Janice Epperson of Ararat, VA
In Memory of Nathaniel Davis Hill C.S.A &
Nicholas D. Epperson, June 29, 1862, C.S.A.
Erected 1999 by J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust, Inc.
Location. 36° 33.83′ N, 80° 33.2′ W. Marker is near Ararat, Virginia, in Patrick County. It can be reached from Ararat Highway (Virginia Route 773). Located on the grounds of the Jeb Stuart Birthplace (Laurel Hill). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1091 Ararat Hwy, Ararat VA 24053, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Virginia and in the Blue Ridge Highlands. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern
Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, April 21, 2012
2. Typical Detached Kitchen
Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 460 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 21, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
