The Ragland Mansion, the luxurious B&B where I stayed on my weekend trip to Petersburg, Virginia, is a testimony to antebellum Italianate beauty, and one of several both Italianate and Greek Revival homes its wealthy builder and owner had constructed along the road within a few years of the start of the Civil War. Today, it is a magnificent B&B with an owner, manager and chief housekeeper and chef Claudia retaining the charm of yesteryear with the modern conveniences of today. Blend that in with Claudia’s efficiency and unending desire to ensure every guest has a spectacular time and you simply cannot go wrong.
The Ragland Mansion is located in the historic Poplar Lane district, 205 Sycamore Street was a fashionable street address in that century and features a hip roof and cupola for its four-story construction.
Reuban Ragland was a descendant of high Welsh nobility linked to the Tudor monarchy and was a wealthy entrepreneur who built this 10,000 square foot home in the 1850s. Through the years, it later became home to Alexander Hamilton, a railway magnate, not the first Secretary of the Treasury. During World War I it was the first Officers’ Club for the nearby Fort Lee installation, and it has been said that many fascinating and well-known people slept there at varying other times since its construction.
It fell into difficult times in the 20th century and in 2001 was restored as a B&B by Claudia’s mother. And it is now in Claudia’s capable hands.
Every nook and corner of the Ragland mansion is magnificent. The first-floor level includes a huge ballroom, on one side of the main foyer, now designed as a spacious and sunlit filled living room with a fireplace and period furnishings at one end, and a dining room table for groups traveling together for breakfast meetings and refreshments at the other. On the opposite side of the main entrance and stately staircase to the second floor are twin parlors, a solarium filled with gorgeous plants of all sizes and species, along with a working table and sink to keep the plants decorating the entire house healthy and brilliant in their varying shades. The library is on the first floor and is now the bedroom where I stayed, a hallway or two away from the buffets of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate always ready for each guest. There’s also a neat buffet in the parlor loaded with glasses and buckets for the supplies of wine, beer, and soft drinks also available for guests at their leisure.
The center hall staircase has more than 200 hand-carved balusters leading to the cupola which offers a great view of the city that suffered so much through not only the Civil War but was the scene of the Battle of Petersburg during the Revolution as well.
Each of the rooms has a private bath and marble fireplaces, along with the carved woodwork and embellished décor that makes this mansion a standout.
Breakfasts are served at the guest’s desire for time over several hours in the morning, and each guest has a menu of numerous items ranging from toast and coffee to waffles, some of the best bacon ever cooked, and fruits, cereals, and more.
The Ragland Mansion, built next to a church with a spacious yard of its own, there is off-street parking available near the Solarium and a walk around the exterior continues to show the care and constant attention made to maintain a historic building in a historic district.
Public transportation isn’t readily available in Petersburg, but that wasn’t even necessary for an Amtrak arriving guest because of the generosity and thoughtfulness of Claudia. Not only does she recommend a series of restaurants in the area, but she drives you there and return at your call to bring you safely back to the mansion for a late-night glass of wine, some conversation with other guests in one of the couches in the living rooms, and a discussion on everything Petersburg has gone through in its lifetime. Bookshelves and magazine racks are filled with fascinating literature on everything from Virginia to architecture, to history and modern up to date news.
The Ragland Mansion survived the Battle of Petersburg, a battle known as the Battle of Old Men and Young Boys, when Northern Major General Benjamin Butler dispatched 4,500 cavalry and infantry against the city’s defenders, numbering about 2,500 Confederate troops. Butler’s troops demonstrated against the outer line of entrenchments east of the city, while a cavalry division attempted to enter from the south. The home Guards repulsed them, Butler withdrew, but some days later, the Siege of Petersburg began.
It was all this scenery, beauty, comfort and history I absorbed and enjoyed for an hour or so after my late afternoon arrival. Then Claudia recommended I go for an early dinner because of the crowds and popularity of the little Irish Pub I had selected for dinner.
Dinner at the Brickhouse Restaurant halfway down a cobbled street was another exciting and unforgettable adventure where I was joined by two gentlemen for a wonderful dinner sharing stories, laughter, ideas, and excellent food.
But that’s another story.
Why did I go to Petersburg? Read that story HERE
