The Roanoker March/April 2024 - 75

Homes
written by Stacey Manganelli
photographed by Taylor Reschka
A contractor specializing in historic restoration and preservation showcases
outstanding original farmhouse elements with plush modern upgrades.
D
on and Rhonda McNiel
know that destiny may
occasionally be delayed,
but not eluded. They
have been married since
1986 but just recently completed restoring an
old farmhouse that's been in Don's family for
over 200 years. Their marriage and the restoration
of this farmhouse, Deer Park Farm in New
Castle, have brought many elements of both
their lives full circle.
Don's great-great grandfather, William
Reynolds, once grew wheat, corn and alfalfa
on the property when it was a 350-acre selfsustaining
farm. He raised cows, chickens,
guinea hens and pigs and left milk out for sale
each morning. The property also had a granary
(storeroom for threshed grain) and a corn crib
(a granary for drying and storing corn).
Inside, the original bathroom became the
first in Craig County with indoor plumbing
in the late 1800s. In the 1950s, when Don and
his cousins were growing up, they affectionately
dubbed rooms the " music room, " " blue room, "
and " black and white room, " respectively. Don's
Aunt Marie was a music teacher and taught
him and his cousins to play bluegrass, jazz and
classical music in the music room.
What remains today is five acres, a gentleman's
estate. While much smaller in size than
the original 350 acres, the family history of the
home and many of its features remain intact.
And Don and Rhonda are clearly meant
to be there, as their lives today link back to
its history in unique ways. For example, Don
worked delivering The Roanoke Times newspaper
when he was a kid. When tearing out
walls during restoration, Don found a 1939
copy of that same newspaper tucked away
between the beams.
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History has also repeated itself in an unusual
way with women influencing the ownership
of the property. When Don's grandparents
were married in 1911, women couldn't legally
own land. But his grandmother's dowry was
sufficient to purchase the land by buying the
house out from the brothers of Don's great
grandfather.
Don's Aunt Marie was the most recent
owner of the home. She passed away in 2016,
and the estate put the house up for sale. When
someone offered a price far below the asking
price, Rhonda was determined to hold on to
the house and told Don, " I'm going to buy
this house myself! " She notes, " A woman was
responsible for keeping the house in the family
twice so far in its history. "
Rhonda was keen to purchase the home
because its deep history appealed to her as
a contrast to her own family background.
Rhonda's great grandfather was a British citizen
forced to leave England because he was
young, poor and Jewish. Her family was confined
in a ghetto in Poland in the early 1900s.
Rhonda's great grandfather escaped the
ghetto and immigrated to the United States,
but returned to Poland every year to bring
more of his family to the US. While her family
escaped the ghetto, repeatedly leaving their
home and culture behind to start anew took
its toll.
The deep history of this farmhouse rooted
in one location is a redemptive counterpoint
to the fractured geography of Rhonda's family.
Don's family has not just lived there for
over 200 years; they were involved even before
construction began. Prior to constructing the
home, Reynolds cleared the land, cut logs and
milled them. Local ferrières, now typically
referred to as blacksmiths, forged square nails,
MARCH/APRIL 2024 75
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The Roanoker March/April 2024

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