Morven Park to Host Family Fun Weekend

Beginning this Friday, Morven Park will be offering a number of free activities for those who are interested in visiting the property.

Through Sunday, free tours will be given of the Morven Park Mansion, once  home to the 55th Virginia Governor, Westmoreland Davis, for 40 years. Four new rooms, which include three service bedrooms and the kitchen, have opened to the public. About a dozen rooms will available during the tour, including the butler's pantry.

“The butler's pantry was open for tour before but it hadn't been renovated and it was sort of described as an extra dining room, which it really wasn't. So it's really been reconfigured to its original purpose,” said Assistant Director of Development and Communications Teresa Davenport. “This is the first weekend we've done this sort of thing and we're really just celebrating the completion of the renovations that have been going on for about six years now. So we decided to sort of kick it off with the free tours.”

In addition, the Morven Park Spring Horse Trials will begin on Saturday, which Davenport described at a triathlon for horses. Held twice a year, riders will compete in dressage, cross-country and show jumping, at the Morven Park Equestrian Centeron, built on 1,000 acres of open space.

Also on Sunday, a Civil War reenactment called Life of a Civil War Soldier, will take place. The 17^th Mississippi Regiment will “camp” for the day while portraying the life as a Civil War soldier.

More than 50 huts were built on the property by confederate soldiers, Davenport said,  where they camped before going to the Battle of Balls Bluff. The re-enactors will have a number of items on display and will offer cooking demonstrations, as well as firing and drills.

"It's important that we continue the tradition of having living history Civil War programs here because it contributes to the community and to the local history in the Loudoun and Leesburg area," said Abby Pfisterer, director of public programming. "History that is related to the Civil War, as well as history about issues of health, wellness and good living from the Civil War through modern times, are the things that we really try to push across with this program."

Pfisterer said she recommends that families come out this weekend to celebrate a new season with the staff.  Morven park is for the community, she said, and it addresses a wide range of history and topics that are relevant to everyday life.

“We have a new administration, a new strategic plan and we're really recommitting ourselves to opening our doors to the community,” Davenport added. “We really want the community to see us as part of their backyard. It's a place to come and just relax and refresh yourself and it's all going back to Governor Wesmoreland Davis whose wife left this estate for the publics use.

“His original philosophy was about healthy living, and kind of communing with the outdoors, sustainable agriculture and those sort of things. We really want to reemphasize his original ideals and for [the community] to appreciate this beautiful open space that has been left for their use.”

Family Fun Weekend will begin this Friday with free mansion tours through Sunday, from 11 am to 5 pm. The last tour begins at 4 pm. On Saturday and Sunday the Spring Horse Trials will take place, beginning at 8:30 am. The Living History Day with Confederate Soldiers will take place from noon to 5 pm on Sunday.

Morven Park is a non-profit organization, 501(c)3, operated by the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation. Its mission is to preserve and advance the ideals of Gov. Davis, offering programs that reflect civic-minded leadership, sustainable agriculture, and the conscientious use of open space for the public good.

Morven Park is located at 17263 Southern Planter Ln, in Leesburg. Visit www.morvenpark.org.