Swannanoa Open House : 6.6.10

By
Yvette Stafford
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1
1185
Photos By Paul Purpura : ©2010 www.nelsoncountylife.com : The Swannanoa Palace opened to the public this weekend. It's located in far Northern Nelson County. Click and photo to enlarge.
Photos By Paul Purpura : ©2010 www.nelsoncountylife.com : The Swannanoa Palace opened to the public this weekend. It's located in far Northern Nelson County. Click and photo to enlarge.

Afton
Nelson County, Virginia
The 1912 mansion built by the late millionaire, James H. Dooley, opened up this weekend to give folks a look inside the spacious mansion that straddles the Blue Ridge Mountains at the top of Afton Mountain. It took almost eight years for the construction to be completed. Our Paul Purpura headed up the parkway and grabbed a few shots from this weekend’s open house.

People dropping by got a rare look inside the mansion which (according to wiki) was the first home in Nelson County to have electricity via a power plant on the property.
People dropping by got a rare look inside the mansion which (according to wiki) was the first home in Nelson County to have electricity via a power plant on the property.
The palace is so large it is located in portions of both Nelson and Augusta Counties.
The palace is so large it is located in portions of both Nelson and Augusta Counties.
More than 300 artisans were hired to create the palace as a replica of the Villa de Medici in Rome.
More than 300 artisans were hired to create the palace as a replica of the Villa de Medici in Rome.
Stained glass is just one of the many beautiful parts of the mansion now owned by J. F. Dulaney, Jr. of Charlottesville.
Stained glass is just one of the many beautiful parts of the mansion now owned by J. F. Dulaney, Jr. of Charlottesville.
The palace is open again Sunday - June 6th until 5PM. There is a small fee to visit.
The palace is open again Sunday - June 6th until 5PM. There is a small fee to visit.

For more information about visiting the palace, call: 540-342-5201

More historic information on the mansion from wiki by clicking here.

1 COMMENT

  1. The Pictures are beautiful, the only thing missing is Mrs Russel coming down the stairs and the chairs near the fireplace where we would sit and chat for hours..she had so many interesting stories about her husband Walter and their eternal love affair with the universe….

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