THE STORY OF FOREST OAKS

Built in 1806 as a side-hall house with a tavern, this dwelling became a manor after additions in 1812 and, significantly, in 1916.

A manor built in 1806, 1812, 1916. THE HOUSE PAYS FOR ITSELF

At the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley in western Virginia, Route 11 leads through picturesque and verdant countryside. Turn onto Houston Tavern Lane to see a view that gladdens the hearts of lovers of old houses: A substantial red-brick manor house stands at the apex of a circular drive, complete with stepped-back chimneys at either end, dormers in the slate roof, and a Federal portico with reeding and dentil mouldings. The James River flows behind the house and the Blue Ridge is its dramatic backdrop.

TOP On the stately front of the house, the portico reflects its Federal-period origins. To the left is the solarium added in 1916. A billiard room occupies the opposite end of the main floor. The house was first enlarged in 1812; the inset shows it ca. 1900.