October 11, 2013 / Joanne Yeck

Buckingham Environs: Alberene House

Alberene House, photo by Heather Harris

Old houses are favorite posts with Slate River Ramblings readers. This one is just outside Buckingham, in Albemarle County, near Schulyer (Nelson County). Heather Harris explains in her article for the Rural Virginian:

The history of the Alberene House, also known as the Company House, dates back to 1883 when New York businessmen James H. Serene and Daniel Carroll, along with John Porter, purchased a 1,955 acre tract of land on Route 719 beside Beaver Dam Creek. A deed dated Jan. 31, 1883, states that the property was purchased by the trio for a sum of $30,000.

That same year, the men founded the Albemarle Soapstone Company and, after several legal battles, were able to begin quarrying their recently-purchased property, making use of the massive soapstone beds found on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

For the rest of the story, visit “The History of a Hauntingly Beautiful House.”

And, don’t miss these great close-up images, taken by photographer Terry Beigie and posted at her blog: Terry Beigie Photography.