Belle Isle State Park
Encyclopedia
Belle Isle State Park is located in Lancaster County, Virginia
, on the Rappahannock River
. It sits between Deep Creek and Morattico Creek and is currently under public ownership. The park has an area of 733 acres (3 km²) and has facilities for fishing, boating and picnics.
The park is a peninsula surrounded by Tidewater
coastal marshes. Wildlife observed includes blue herons, osprey, hawks, bald eagles, white-tailed deer and various reptiles and amphibians. It is near the unincorporated towns of Litwalton
, Morattico
and Somers
.
The park and Georgian style
mansion
were operated in the 19th century as a plantation. The property was acquired in 1692 by John Bertrand. Belle Isle mansion was built around 1760 by Raleigh Downman and restored in the 1940s. The architect for the restoration was Thomas Tileston Waterman, the first director of the Historic American Buildings Survey
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0084-0416(198522%2F23)20%3A2%2F3%3C103%3ATTWSOA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M. Some of the interior rooms and paneling can be seen today at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_1_161/ai_81891357/pg_1. The house, which is surrounded by the park but still privately owned, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971. Bel Air, a colonial revival house on the grounds designed by Waterman, can be rented for overnight stays. In addition, there is a cottage that can also be rented.
Lancaster County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,567 people, 5,004 households, and 3,412 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 6,498 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
, on the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
. It sits between Deep Creek and Morattico Creek and is currently under public ownership. The park has an area of 733 acres (3 km²) and has facilities for fishing, boating and picnics.
The park is a peninsula surrounded by Tidewater
Tidewater
Tidewater may refer to:*Tidewater , a geographic area of southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina*Tidewater , a company providing marine services to the offshore petroleum industry...
coastal marshes. Wildlife observed includes blue herons, osprey, hawks, bald eagles, white-tailed deer and various reptiles and amphibians. It is near the unincorporated towns of Litwalton
Litwalton, Virginia
Litwalton is an unincorporated community in Lancaster County in the U. S. state of Virginia....
, Morattico
Morattico, Virginia
Morattico is an unincorporated former post office town along the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County, Virginia, United States. It sits across Morattico Creek from Belle Isle State Park. "Morattico" is an anglicized version of "Moraughticund", the name of a Native American tribe whose primary...
and Somers
Somers, Virginia
Somers is an unincorporated community in Lancaster County in the U. S. state of Virginia....
.
The park and Georgian style
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
were operated in the 19th century as a plantation. The property was acquired in 1692 by John Bertrand. Belle Isle mansion was built around 1760 by Raleigh Downman and restored in the 1940s. The architect for the restoration was Thomas Tileston Waterman, the first director of the Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0084-0416(198522%2F23)20%3A2%2F3%3C103%3ATTWSOA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M. Some of the interior rooms and paneling can be seen today at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_1_161/ai_81891357/pg_1. The house, which is surrounded by the park but still privately owned, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971. Bel Air, a colonial revival house on the grounds designed by Waterman, can be rented for overnight stays. In addition, there is a cottage that can also be rented.