Cooperative Living January/February 2022 - 8

HOLIDAY HABITATS
One in a series of holiday-inspired
destinations in co-op country.
Swannanoa:
A 109Year-Old
Valentine
by
Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer
nvested in real estate, railroads, insurance, steel and banking
invested in
i
i
The son ofIrish immigrants,James HenryDooley deftly
re
ry
estate, railroads,
oley deftly
surance, steel and banking
futures, and served on the boards of at least two railroads,
as well as serving for a time in the Virginia General Assembly.
On Sept. 11, 1869, Dooley married Sallie O. May, the daughter
of Henry May, a physician from Petersburg. The Dooleys' primary
residence was soon established in Richmond on the property
today known as the Maymont Estate.
In 1911, Dooley purchased 763 acres from J.B. Yount, a local
farmer, on Afton Mountain, with plans for a summer home -
a gift for his wife.
Reportedly, Dooley wrote to a lawyer negotiating the sale that
his wife wanted the land, he had the money for the land and
therefore they should own it. After a lot of prodding and financial
outlay, he made his wife's dream a reality.
EXTRAVAGANT CONSTRUCTIO
During construction, train cars laden with imported Italian
and native Georgian marble rolled into what is now Crozet.
Teams of oxen-drawn wagons transported these special materials
up Afton Mountain to the future site of Swannanoa, where master
craftsmen would take eight years to complete this labor of love.
Each stone, embellishment and work of art reflected love; the
love of a husband for his wife, as well as the love of those master
craftsmen for their respective crafts.
Artisans constructed the home's exterior from Georgian marble
and the interior from imported Italian marble. Walking into the
home, you see a sweeping staircase
piecepiece Tiffaniffany st nai ed-glass winindowportraying SallieMayDooley.
th
home, you se
" Fac
Luxury and love on the Blue Ridge
F
ebruary is the time of year when many of us start to think
about what gift to get that special someone - we may be
thinking of flowers, a nice dinner or perhaps a piece of
thoughtful jewelry.
Whatever the decision, it likely won't match what railroad
baron James Dooley gave his wife in 1912. His gift, a 23,000square-foot
Italian Renaissance Revival Villa, complete with its
own coal-powered, electricity-producing plant, in what is today
Afton, Va., in Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative territory.
Named Swannanoa (a word meaning " beautiful trails " in the
language of the Cherokee Nation), the lavish 109-year-old home
remains the ultimate valentine.
6 ● Cooperative Living ●
January-February 2022
sw pi
ai ed
st
opped by
ki
est, th
un set
day. It remains the largest
Tiffany stained-glass window
in any privately owned home
in America, " says Adrianne
Boyer, Swannanoa marketing
and events director assistant.
SIGHTS TO SEE
While the home does
not contain many period
furnishings, it does contain
several historical treasures.
In the ladies' music room is
a fireplace carved by famed
co-opliving.com
" Faciingwest, the sun sets behindMs. Dooley's likeness each
home, you see a sweeping staircase topped by a breathtaking 4,000se
topped by a breathtaking 4,000000PHOTO
BY GREGG MACDONALD
PHOTO COURTESY GENE RUNION
PHOTO COURTESY BILL SHAW
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living January/February 2022

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