Posted by Casey Williams on January 27th, 2009

Last week, several Bundoran Farm property owners joined the Bundoran Farm Guild for a field trip to Pharsalia, a historic plantation in Nelson County, and the HeartPine Company mill.

Built in 1814 by William Massie at the foot of the dePriest Mountain in Nelson County, Pharsalia has a fascinating history and beautiful setting. Richard and Foxie Morgan, the current owners and descendants of the Massie family, are preserving the past by maintaining and restoring Pharsalia’s original Manor house, outbuildings and gardens. Their hunt for appropriate building materials led to the establishment of a small, family-run company that finds, transforms and creates distinctive wood building materials, flooring, millwork and furniture. Their operation, HeartPine Company, LLC, can provide a wide variety of custom wood solutions, including:

• Antique, recycled and domestic flooring

• Antique and domestic beams

• Renewable specialty woods

• Custom millwork, including cabinetry, furniture, and moldings

We kicked off the field trip with a tour of Pharsalia and the restored heartpine flooring, beams, paneling, and the new specialty construction and millwork in particular. The Morgan’s presented a hearty and traditional “farm lunch” that exceeded every expectation: homemade ham biscuits, apple butter, cheese grits, marinated beef salad, topped off with a piece of lemon chess or chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Wow. With a full belly, we set off to tour the HeartPine Company mill in Lynchburg, VA, to see how beams and decking from dismantled buildings are re-milled for other applications, or how locally harvested woods are milled into custom stair treads, mantels, architectural beams, and moldings. It was a fun and educational trip for all.

Many thanks to Richard and Foxie for their warm hospitality, and to the participants who generously offered to drive the carpools.

Filed under: Bundoran Farm Events and Occasions, Education and Inspiration, General, Green Building