DHR to administer preservation easement over Drexel-Morrell Center property

Free Press staff report

A permanent preservation and open-space easement has been established for the DrexelMorrell Center, a historic property in Powhatan County that highlights the role of African-Americans in that area, and the life and contributions of American Catholic St. Katharine Drexel, founder of two now defunct African-American academies that were located nearby.

The easement was established Feb. 15 by the owner of the center and the property, the nonprofit Belmead on the James and donated to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources.

The preservation area comprises the historic Rosemont House that dates to 1898, a frame stable, and 56.4 acres of land that will never be developed, DHR stated in announcing the gift last week.

The easement also will foster Belmead on the James’ plans to create a trail system and develop outdoor classrooms, exhibit spaces and demonstration gardens, according to DHR spokeswoman Ivy Tan. The property is bisected by a stream called The Lick and two smaller streams, Ms. Tan noted.

The center serves the community as a museum and gathering place for storytelling, ancestry research, lectures and workshops and a repository of documents and photos concerning the history of the African-Americans who lived, worked, built and facilitated the growth of nearby Bellmead Plantation, and the two schools, St. Emma Military Academy for boys and St. Francis De Sales Institute for girls, Ms. Tan stated.

The two schools were an outgrowth of St. Katharine’s launch of the Catholic Order of the Blessed Sacrament, with a focus on educating African-American children during the Jim Crow period. The order sold the Belmead property in 2019 to Jeff Oakley, owner of a Prince George County hazardous materials transport company.

Belmead on the James, which was created by Blessed Sacrament nuns and their supporters, later acquired the Rosemont property and established the center after receiving several state grants with the assistance of the Capital Region Land Conservancy to continue the legacy of St. Katharine, a Philadelphia native, philanthropist and nun who was elevated to sainthood in 2000.

“Something wonderful is growing in Powhatan,” Sister Maureen T. Carroll, executive director of the center and a member of the Blessed Sacrament order, stated.

The center has “just become a place set aside ‘forever’ as a permanent natural and historic conservation place that will preserve both history and green space,” she continued. “ All people and all life are interconnected. This new place of eco-social justice will hold stories of the past as we encourage new wisdom to enrich the Earth.”

Rosemont was originally the home of Charles L. Dodd, whom St. Katharine hired to design the

St. Francis Institute on the Belmead plantation property her family had acquired. Mr. Dodd collaborated with William S. Taylor, a skilled Black artisan, to build the house and later hired Mr. Taylor to work at the school.

Later owned by the Meacham family, the two-and –a-half story frame house is an example of Queen Anne-Eastlake architectural design, Ms. Tan stated, and includes Gothic Revival detailing, stained glass and wainscoting.

“DHR is very excited to be partnering with the Drexel-Morrell Center on its stewardship of this significant and multi-faceted historic property,” agency director Julie Langan stated. “As a result of the center’s vision and commitment, this important landmark will be preserved.”

Henrico County breaks ground for first large community park since 1982

A ground-breaking ceremony for the 99-acre Taylor Farm Park in Henrico County’s Sandston district took place Feb. 27 at 200 Whiteside Road, off East Williamsburg Road.

Site work was expected to start in late February for the county’s first large community park to be built in the Varina District since Dorey Park opened in 1982.

Under a master plan developed with the community, the park will be designed to blend with the property’s wooded areas and natural landscaping.

Amenities will include a skate park, pump track, trail system, water play area, lawn for special events and a memorial to public safety workers and

Following the presentation, the board awarded a $20.1 million contract to Loughridge & Company LLC for the first phase of development.

“Clearly, it’s going to be a pretty cool park,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Tyrone E. Nelson, who represents the Varina District. “I can’t wait to get it started.”

Several of the park’s planned features, including a neighborhood playground, an interpretative farm and some trails, will be added in a second phase after initial bids exceeded available funding by $4 million. Mr. Nelson asked staff to continue to monitor costs so the park can be completed as envisioned.

In its initial phase, Taylor Farm Park will include an active sports area, with a 17,000-square-foot skate park and a 12,000-square-foot pump track that may make it the largest public “all-wheel” recreational facility in the United States, said Mr. Zannino, who was promoted to director of Recreation & Parks in January.

The active sports area will accommodate all skill levels on bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, roller blades and scooters.

Also planned is a naturebased play area, with rope net climbers, slides, treehouses, towers and other features that will be integrated into the natural landscape.

“We’re really embodying the natural aesthetics of the park, so you’ll see … that the nature is the theme,” Mr. Zan- nino said, also noting plans for native plantings in key areas. “This will be kind of in nature, surrounded by all the trees. The play equipment … will be coming in and out of the tree canopy.”

Stories by Fred Jeter