James Madison was born on March 16, 1751 at Belle Grove Plantation located on the north side of the Rappahannock River near what is now Port Conway, Virginia. The original house burned (as houses of that era had a tendency to do) and the house that currently sits on the plantation is believed to have been built in about 1790 on top of the original basement.
Belle Grove Plantation was the childhood home of Madison’s mother, Nelly Conway Madison, and she went there to give birth to James, her first of twelve (yes…twelve) children. She lived to be 98 years old and resided at Montpelier most of her life – from James’ youth until her death in 1829.
Over the years the plantation has undergone several ownership changes and was purchased in 1998 by a family-owned Austrian company which seems to make industrial ovens and ice cream cone makers(!) They have a small office in Richmond, about an hour south, but I’m not sure what part of their corporate mission includes buying historic properties in King George County?
Nonetheless, they spent significant time and money restoring the home and recently agreed to lease it to Michelle and Brett Darnell who are working diligently to open the site as a Bed & Breakfast. Along with numerous other interested Virginians, bloggers, history buffs, and vacation-seekers, I’ve been following the Darnell’s story for several months on their website.
And earlier this spring I decided to take the nine-minute flight from my home airport to find the historic spot where our fourth president came to life:
Photo taken from my Cirrus SR20 at ~2,000′
The Darnells had hopes of opening the B&B by James Madison’s birthday earlier this year but, as tends to happen, complexity interfered with their plans. Still, they have a full head of steam and more enthusiasm than ever.
I’m not sure what the new planned opening date is, but you’d better pay close attention or you’ll find that by the time you get around to calling for a reservation, I may have already semi-permanently booked at least one of their rooms. I can’t think of many better places to finish reading my last hundred or so presidential biographies…and enjoy one of these.
An interesting early article on their efforts appears here.
A more recent article on their progress appears here.
My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies 
Thank you so much for sharing our blog and for following us for so long! I love the picture of Belle Grove! What a great new view of the property! If I may get your permission, I would love to publish it on our Facebook and New Website to come!
Here a few things you were wondering about. The family-owned Austrian company purchased the property in 1987 from the last surviving family member of the Hooker Family. At that time, they were preparing a possible move to Virginia from Austrian. Because they have a very large family, they needed space. In 1997, this family undertook the restoration project of Belle Grove Plantation. It was a very large task to take on because Belle Grove was in such bad condition. But to their credit, they did it right. I will be writing a blog this week on this project. Stay tune for the details. The project was completed in 2003. Things had changed over that time and they decided not to move to Virginia. So the plantation was complete and sat empty for 10 years. During this time, they searched for the right thing to do with the property. In 2011, we came along and the rest is now history.
We are pushing hard to get the door open on July 1st. Open or Not, we will open the house to the public for History Tours as part of the Port Royal July 4th Celebration. If you or any of your readers are interested in seeing this elegant home, please see us in Port Royal on July 4th for information.
Thank you again for this wonderful post! I hope we will be able to share the picture with other followers!
Michelle Darnell
Belle Grove Plantation Bed and Breakfast
Thanks for sharing additional information on Belle Grove and updating us on the planned opening date. Feel free to use the photo on FB and your new website; this was the best of the ones I took. I considered waiting a few weeks before getting a photo (everything always looks even nicer with fresh foliage) but worried the house might disappear behind the leaves. Fingers are crossed for July 1st, and I will certainly try to plan a visit around the July 4th Celebration!
Steve
Reblogged this on Belle Grove Plantation Bed and Breakfast and commented:
Here is a wonderful post about Belle Grove Plantation. You must see the picture!
I, too, have been reading with interest the blogs on the progress of this renovation/opening of a B & B that promises to be one of America’s best places to relive history. So excited for this couple who have worked diligently to restore it faithfully and to select appropriate furnishings that will be tasteful and in keeping with the property. Thanks for sharing this blog. I, too, hope to stay there someday! http://ohtheplaceswesee.com
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