Every day is a gift here at Sweet Briar Hill.  It is filled with songs of bright red Cardinals, Sparrows, Bluebirds, Herons, Canadian Geese and numerous others. The freshness of the surrounding countryside just fills one with energy and peace.  A place everyone truly loves at first sight.

The giant and ancient trees throw lacy shadows over the green surrounding lawns interlaced with Violets, Buttercups and Queen’s Lace wild flowers.  The grandchildren ride their bikes all over the yard and run and play on the water Slip N’ Slide every summer.  How free it is not to have any traffic or city congestion in sight and to see children truly enjoying the openness of country living.

We have the most wonderful places to sit and enjoy the fluttering butterflies as we sit on the big wraparound porch swing and watch the 50 year old Butterfly Bush fill with every wonderful butterfly of this area.  And also the swing in the 200 year old Beech tree gives us time to rest and reflect on the grace of the surrounding farms and grazing cattle.  Little squirrels and rabbits dot the yards every morning and evening as the sun goes down in magnificent displays.

In the fresh mornings we sit on the screen porch and have our first coffee looking out at the four big pastures that back up to hills covered with huge trees. Every spring and fall there is a show of bright green leaves or autumn’s quilt of colors all around as far as one can see.  The pastures are bordered with a large 30’-50’ wide grassy riding track for horses.

The home is so homey.  It is not pretentious but comfortable and welcoming.  The pine floors were hand cut from the woods that once covered this land.  The handmade bricks in the fireplace are exceptional workmanship.  All the rooms are big and roomy and not overwhelming but excellent in balance and design.  The tall ceilings are different in each room giving a variety of design and composition.

At evening in the summertime we enjoy watching thousands of fireflies come up from the grass and brighten the yards with their wonderful little lights.  The sky is just full of stars and there is a beauty of it that is not easily forgotten.  We are not bothered with a lot of insects here.  There are the usual garden kind and summer pests but not to any excess due to the many birds about.  Some nights we hear the owls hunting and the buzz of the crickets and cicadas.  We have a grandfather ground hog that makes his appearance about once a month in summertime as he crosses the yard as he has done for years and years.  Birds build their nests and raise wonderful babies due to the peace and quiet and the sense of safety here.

Every tree on the property tells of the early peoples that traveled through the land of Sweet Briar Hill.  Being only a few miles from the beginning point of the Cherokee evacuation this was a central area for the tribe for untold years.  They witnessed the ancient trees on the property long ago. The creek below us was where they caught fish and made camp.  Later it was used by one of the descendants of the first owners as a mill run and this became a focal point for people to come to and have their grain ground, marble cut, wooden wheels made and other necessary activities.

We are drawn to study the architecture of this excellent home.  It takes a bit of imagination to remember that everything here was in dense forest and that the farm was a parcel of a thousand acres in the wilderness.  What an excellent structure was made with everything done by hand and taken from the land.  The wrought iron hinges on the doors, the ample glass windows and beautiful doors are a rarity for the wilderness homes of the time period.

John McClatchy was a surveyor from North Carolina and certainly knew how to set the home perfectly in balance with the rising and setting sun for ample light.  And the elevation of the home protects it from any kind of flooding or sitting water.  The well is large and produces all the water one could ever need.  And then later Mr. Getty designed the wing of the home with such excellent design that it incorporates all the whole structure in a symphony of completeness.  We have been so blessed to live here.

Thank you for taking the time to read our thoughts about Sweet Briar Hill.  I know the piece is rather long, but truly, I didn't even touch on the pure, clean air, the bluest of skies, and the mystery of the fogs of some mornings.  Or even the sweetness of the air.  It is cooler here because of the soft breezes that blow all summer long.  And, it is drier here because of the excellent drainage after the rains…AND everything grows in this soil like it was supersonic!