The Inn at Meander Plantation Locust Dale, Virginia Return to a gentler time -- Escape to a simpler life! Contact Info | Email this page to a Friend | Check Room Availability  | Click to see a map  | Visit our Web Site Additional Pages... Introduction Guest Rooms/Rates Garden Pictures Area Attractions Special Packages About Your Innkeepers Horse Lovers Only Pets Welcome Corporate Retreats Dining Our Favorite Recipes Kid Friendly How to Find Us   Availability Search: See which rooms are available during your stay. Check in: Check out: Powered by Webervations Clear search results Rooms Available from  to  Learn more about these rooms These are our base rates - certain discounts and/or charges may apply

The Inn at Meander Plantation opened in January 1993, after undergoing a year of restoration and preparation. Prior to that, the house had been a private residence since it was built in the 1700s. The property is steeped in history.

Archeologists have recently discovered a prehistoric native American site on the property near the Robinson River. Their excavations unearthed spear and arrow points and chards of pottery, among other artifacts, dating back as early as 2000 BC.

The plantation was patented in 1727 by Col. Joshua Fry, a member of the House of Burgesses and a professor at William and Mary. It was the first plantation settled in Madison County. Col. Fry and his partner Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson, surveyed and drew the first official map of the State of Virginia. (A French copy of that map, dating to the 1750s, hangs in our living room.) Fry commanded the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War, with George Washington as his second in command. Col. Fry was killed at the Battle of Cumberland and Washington assumed command of the forces. Many "locals" say George Washington encamped here for about a month to pay tribute to Fry's widow and children.

Originally named Elim, the manor was enlarged in 1766 by Joshua's son, Henry Fry. (He is buried in the family cemetery located in the field behind the house.) His lifelong friend, Thomas Jefferson, visited here often, as did General Lafayette. William Wirt, famous 18th Century American lawyer and counsel for the prosecution against Aaron Burr in 1807, spent much of his youth here. At that time, the plantation encompassed more than 3,000 acres.

The mansion saw little activity during the Civil War, although it is only miles from and within sight of Cedar Mountain, site of one of the war's largest and fiercest calvary battles. A state historical marker in front of the property notes where Stonewall Jackson and his troops crossed the bordering Robinson River en route to the battle.

The property name was changed to Meander in the early 1900s by owner George Shearer, who maintained the property as an estate for his daughters, Judith and Julie, who lived their entire lives here. The Shearer sisiters where noted international horse and dog show judges, themselves raising numerous championship Whippet and Corgi dogs, as well as race horses.

After the death of the Shearer sisters, the house sat vacant for a few years before being sold to a land development company that planned to develop it into a country club with small estates. Fortunately the plan never materialized and the house went back into private ownership in the mid-1970s.

We bought the property in 1991 with the intention of converting it to a bed and breakfast. The property has been a working plantation throughout its history, and we continue to operate it as a horse farm in addition to the Inn.

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