A Guide to the Photographs of "Nydrie," ante 1920 "Nydrie," Photographs, ante 1920 10758-a

A Guide to the Photographs of "Nydrie," ante 1920

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 10758-a

Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
USA
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Reference Request Form: https://small.lib.virginia.edu/reference-request/
URL: http://small.library.virginia.edu/

Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Special Collections Department

Repository

Special Collections, University of Virginia Library

Accession number

10758-a

Title

Photographs of "Nydrie" ante 1920

Physical Characteristics

This collection contains seven items.

Language

English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Photographs of Nydrie (dwelling and farm), ante 1920, Accession # 10758-a, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was a gift to the Library on August 11, 1988, by William Keene Langhorne of Portola Valley, California; Harry Forsyth Langhorne of Lowesville, Virginia; and, Phyllis Langhorne Draper of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Scope and Content Information

This collection contains seven photographs, ante 1920, of "Nydrie," Esmont, Albemarle County, Virginia, including views of the parlour and the main hall and one of the exterior. In addition, there is a copy of an article, September 22, 1898, about the building of the main residence, "WILL MAKE A GRAND ESTATE/What Mr. Forsyth is Doing on the Southside," The Weekly Chronicle of Charlottesville, Virginia.

The estate is located in the Green Mountain section of Albemarle County, and now contains some seven hundred acres of land. This tract of land was originally formed by the Coles estate, which was patented by John Coles II of Hanover County in 1769 from a 3,000-acre tract purchased from the Epps Grant, and was named for the Coles family seat in Leinster, Ireland.

During the 1890's, Harry Douglas Forsyth, a sugar grower and manufacturer, of New Orleans, Louisiana, bought the old estate of Thomas Coles, and, in 1898, had the main residence built. "Nydrie" is built of brick, with brown stone trimmings, and slate roof; and, it includes the main entrance hall, a music gallery, basement rooms, and fifty other rooms, including a dining room, a billiard room, a library, a drawing room, six storerooms, and two pantries. Prior to the construction of the mansion, he built several dwellings for employees, a large barn and stable of brick with a slate roof, and a dam forming a lake of pure spring water. After his death in 1902, Forsyth's wife, Sarah Rice (Johnson) Forsyth, continued to live at "Nydrie" until her death in 1920. Following her death, the estate was sold; it has since been acquired by the Daniel G. Van Clief family.

There are additional photographs of "Nydrie" in accessions #3070-e and #10648, as well as some historical information concerning the estate in the former collection.