Mayhurst
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Mayhurst Inn (Mayhurst)
1859, attributed to Norris G. Starkwether. 12460 Mayhurst Ln. (U.S. 15 south 0.6 mile from town, west side), Orange
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(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
Mayhurst Inn (Mayhurst) (Library of Virginia) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones)
Now operated as a bed-and-breakfast, this is one of Virginia's finest antebellum Victorian structures. No architect is recorded, but the similarity to Starkwether's Camden (PE55) in Caroline County makes him a likely candidate. Built for Colonel John Willis, as the head house of a 1,500-acre plantation, the house is exuberant and wild, with possibly the largest cornice brackets in existence. Constructed of wood rusticated to look like masonry, with a scroll-ornamented finial, the cupola alone is worth the trip.
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