Cooperative Living January 2017 - 23

Alan had worked in real estate
training, traveling the world and
spending 3,000 nights of his career in
hotels. He was looking for a second
career that would allow him to apply
what he had learned while traveling.
The Lafayette Inn and its associated
restaurant offered a perfect opportunity,
particularly for Alan's desire to serve
" everyday food plated nicely in an
upscale atmosphere. " He adds, " I like to
call what we do here 'kicked up comfort
food.' If we can't spell it or pronounce it,
we can't serve it. "
The inn has six rooms, including
" Dicey's cottage, " the old slave quarters,
and serves dinner on Fridays, Saturdays
and Sundays, including 10-course,
wine-paired chef-tasting dinners.
The Pyles reside on a farm five miles
from the inn, and Alan admits, " It took
awhile to get used to the community. We
had no sense of community in Fairfax,
but here you see the same people
frequently. People know you and ask
genuine, caring questions. "
Today the inn and restaurant do a
solid business during warm-weather
months and in the fall. " It was five years
before we got to do what we wanted to
do rather than what the building told us
to do, " Alan jokes. The structure is
nearly 200 years old and actually did
start its existence as a hotel, but has
also seen service as a Civil War field
hospital, telephone exchange and
newspaper office.
The Pyles have worked hard to make
sure the structure and its significance to
Stanardsville's history endure. The same
might be true of Stanardsville Hardware,
which occupies the old IGA grocery store
building. " I will continue to be here as
long as my health and the Lord allow, "
says Dunahoo, who remarks that one
must really have the heart of a servant to
run a business in a small town.
Giuseppe might agree as she
approaches centenarian status. She has
donated over $1 million to community
projects over the last decade, the Greene
County Historical Society among them.
What's her secret to longevity? Service,
obviously. But also pickle juice. " I drink
pickle juice every day. " 
Greene County Courthouse
If You Go ...
S
S
tart your exploration of Stanardsville at the Greene County Historical
Society, which is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday (434-9851834,
www.greenehistory.org). From there, walk over to the historic
Greene County Courthouse on Court Square, and then grab lunch at the
newly opened Sombrero's Mexican Cuisine and Cafe on Main Street (434-9909153).
Order some homemade ice cream in the afternoon at the Lafayette Inn
and Restaurant, and, if you've fallen in love with this quaint little town by then,
make reservations for dinner and an overnight stay, too (434-985-6345,
www.thelafayette.com)!
A Quick History
tanardsville formed in no small degree because of its proximity just below
the Blue Ridge Mountain pass of Swift Run Gap, which was purportedly
first explored by Europeans in 1716 under Governor Spotswood and his
" Knights of the Golden Horsehoe. " Today, Route 33 passes through this gap in
the mountains, the very same gap General Stonewall Jackson used during the
Civil War to shift troops between the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia.
Local landowner Robert Stanard donated the land on which the current
Greene County Courthouse stands in 1838, establishing Stanardsville as the
county seat.
Stanardsville, like so many communities abutting the present boundaries of
Shenandoah National Park, saw many county families displaced by the park's
establishment in the 1930s. Over 14,600 acres of Greene County land became
part of the new national park, and 285 local families who lived within the new
park's boundaries were displaced. You can learn about their stories at the
park's Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center in Shenandoah National Park
(www.nps.gov/shen/ planyourvisit/visitorcenters). 
www.co-opliving.com
January 2017 | Cooperative Living | 21
http://www.greenehistory.org http://www.thelafayette.com http://www.nps.gov/shen/ http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living January 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2017
