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"Bushfield
Sunset" by Paul McGehee. This is a beautifully peaceful scene of the
historic Bushfield mansion, bathed in the rosy glow of the setting sun
at the end of a summer's day. Bushfield, located on the banks of
Buckner Creek near the Potomac River in Virginia's Westmoreland County,
was originally built in the early 1700's. It was the home of Col. John
Bushrod and his wife Hannah, later linked by marriage to both the
Washington and Lee families. A grandchild
of theirs, named Hannah Bushrod, married George Washington's younger
brother John Augustine Washington. Their son Corbin married Hannah Lee,
of the Stratford Hall Lees. Her nephew Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee III
was the father of Robert E. Lee. John and Hannah's son Bushrod, born at
Bushfield in 1762, later became one of the early Justices of the
Supreme Court, being confirmed in 1799 at the age of 36. John and Hannah lived together for many years at the
stately Bushfield. George Washington
frequently visited his brother
at the mansion, just a short boat-ride down the Potomac River from his
riverfront estate Mount Vernon (which Bushfield resembles
architecturally.) As
fate would have it, after George and Martha Washington died, their
estate Mount Vernon was willed to George's favorite nephew, Bushrod.
Bushrod and his wife Anne lived at Mount Vernon until they both died
(within days of each other) in 1829. They were buried on the grounds of
Mount Vernon, which was also the final resting place of George and
Martha. As years went by, records regarding the Bushfield mansion are
spotty. There is an historical reference to Bushfield having been one
of
several Potomac River mansions damaged by the British during the War of
1812. Through a succession of different owners, Bushfield underwent
several structural changes and expansions throughout the 19th century,
with an extensive renovation taking place in 1916. Today, the Bushfield
Manor (as it is now known) is on the National Historic Register. It is
a beautiful sight to behold, dramatically situated the banks of Buckner
Creek, near the placid waters of Nomini Bay and the Potomac River.
Bushfield Manor is now a popular venue for events such as weddings and
other celebrations. Blending the present with the past, Bushfield is
truly living history...a glimpse of elegance from an era we will never
see again. "Bushfield Sunset" is faithfully
reproduced
as an archival-quality print from
McGehee's original color pencil drawing, each hand-signed by the artist.
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