Gay Mont 1948

Gay Mont 1948

Gay Mont Hackberry & Boxwood

Gay Mont Hackberry & Boxwood

Removing Hackberry Burl from Gay Mont

Removing Hackberry Burl from Gay Mont

Gay Mont Boxwood

Gay Mont, originally named Rose Hill, was a late federal/early Victorian estate located in Port Royal, Virginia, just south of Fredericksburg.  The Bernard family owned the home during the Civil War, and four of the Bernard sisters wrote diaries and letters documenting visits to the home by Confederate military, including General Jeb Stuart and Union Commander General Abercrombie. Two of the Bernard sisters remained in the home with their servants at Gay Mont during the entirety of the Civil War.

General Abercrombie provided special guard to protect Gay Mont while Northern troops remained in its vicinity. Several guests who had been dining at Gay Mont on the eve of the Battle of Fredericksburg were killedthe next day during this conflict.

European Boxwoods and Hackberry stood on the grounds from 1840 and survived a fire in the home in the 1950s.  The home was reconstructed and today remains under the protection of the Department of Historic Resources. The boxwood and hackberry were acquired by William Jewell of Historical Woods of America in 2011.