History of Sky Meadows State Park

The Native Americans who lived in the Piedmont Valley during the 1600s were primarily hunters.  Of Sioux stock, they were called Manohoacs, which means “they are very merry.” At that time, Virginia was a British colony.  All the land between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers was called “the Northern Neck.”  This 5,282,000 acre estate had been granted by King Charles II and passed down through a succession of “proprietors” since 1649.  Lord Fairfax inherited the Northern Neck in 1719.  After having the estate surveyed, he began selling and leasing out parcels of land.

In 1731, Captain James Ball purchased from Lord Fairfax a 7883 acre tract that lay on the east side of the Blue Ridge south of Ashby Gap. When Captain Ball died in 1754, his property was divided among his daughter and five grandsons.  James Ball received 1000 acres on which the present Sky Meadows State Park Visitor Center is located.

John Edmonds, who had been a captain during the American Revolution, purchased James Ball’s land in 1780.  Edmonds then built a 1½-story house, which still stands.  He died in 1798, and his land was divided among his five children.  Sons Elias and George sold most of their inherited land to Isaac Settle, respected postmaster and tavern-keeper in the nearby village of Paris.  In 1812, Isaac Settle built a large brick house and named it “Belle Grove” (located just south of the park) where he and his wife Mary raised three children.  In 1842, he sold the Belle Grove farm to his son-in-law Lewis Edmonds, who, a year later, sold 148 acres to Isaac’s son Abner Settle.

On his new farm, Abner built the stone portion of what is now called the “Mount Bleak” house.  By 1850, he had added the frame portion of the house to accommodate himself, wife Mary, their six children, and his father.  By 1862, five more children were born to the Settles.  In 1866, because of declining health, Abner Settle sold the Mount Bleak farm to Thomas Glasscock.  Glasscock sold the property in 1868 to George M. Slater who had been a member of Mosby’s Rangers during the Civil War.  Slater and his son owned the farm until they both died in 1923.

In 1942, the farm became the residence of Sir Robert Hadow, who was attached to the British Embassy in Washington, DC, as a British-Counsel General during World War II.  Sir Robert renamed the property “Skye Farm”, as it reminded him of his home on the Isle of Skye.  The Hadows used Skye Farm as a retreat from diplomatic social life in capitol.  After the war, General Raymond Lee and his wife purchased the property.  The general liked the farm because it reminded him of his favorite places in England.  He renamed the farm “St. Brandon’s”.  Two years later, in 1948, the Lees sold the farm to John Scott, a Washington, DC lawyer, who gave the property its current name, Sky Meadows.  

In 1966, James S. Abrams acquired the land and a housing development was planned.  The land was divided in 50-acre lots.  This scenic area was saved through the actions of Paul Mellon.  Virginia State Parks received the 1,132-acre farm as a gift from Mr. Mellon in 1975.  After building facilities to accommodate the public, the Commonwealth opened Sky Meadows State Park in 1983.  A 248-acre corridor between the park and U.S. Route 50 containing three miles of the Appalachian Trail was added in 1987.

In 1991, Paul Mellon presented an additional 462-acre tract of land as a gift to the park.  The Virginia Outdoor Foundation was active in the acquisition process.  The tract, the Lost Mountain Bridle Trail area, contains a parcel of land that was purchased from Lord Fairfax by George Washington.  During the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the land had been farmed by several local families.