Hewick

If you love Virginia history, as I do, and are looking for a place to stay in the eastern part of the commonwealth, there is a wonderful Bed & Breakfast I visited just north of the town of Urbanna in Middlesex County. This house, known as Hewick, was built originally in 1678 by Christopher Robinson. That's right, folks, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, this house was already 98 years old!

That's me standing in front of the place on the morning of Feb. 11, 2001. As you can tell by the long, sprawling shadows, the sun was pretty low in the sky. You can deduce that this beautiful old house, this surviving witness to colonial Virginia, has a sunny, southern exposure. Its exterior walls are constructed of Flemish bond brick and are 18 inches thick on the first floor. (No wonder it's still standing!) The house is alleged to be haunted by a spirit known as the "Pink Lady," but I never heard or saw anything out of the ordinary while I was there—nor did I want to.