December 2011 We want to thank all our new and longtime guests for thier continued patronage in 2011. We have closed for the seaon but look forward to a great new year in the spring of 2012. By popular demand, we will be offering a two night weekend rate in 2012. Club members will get the same new reduced rate with an additional free night as a thank you for their longtime support of the Paddock. Look for details on our web site in January and friend us on Facebook. We hope you have a great winter and we'll see you again in the spring! January 2011 Welcome back to the Paddock for 2011! The big news for 2011 is the replacement of the swimming pool for a new water feature. Our new wading "pond" replaces the old and failing pool while at the same time providing a cool place to relax after a hot day of racing. While we morn the loss of the traditional pool, we look forward to the fun and atmosphere created by the new wading pond! We hope to have new photo's up on the website as soon as weather permits. Until then, get your ride ready and send in your reservation dates for the 2011 season. Almost forgot- Rental rates will remain unchanged for 2011!
December 2010 This is the time of the year we thank all those that have stayed at the Paddock this past season and the hardworking people behind the scenes that keep the place clean and kept. In no particular order, thanks go to Thelma for keeping the house spotless, to Chris at Gold Leaf Landscapes for lawn maintenance and finally to Jack for taking over pool duties this year. An additional thanks to the folks at Orkin in helping keep (most) of the critters outside where they belong. Some new things are planned for 2011- look to us in January for updates. Paddock Club members- your deposit will roll over for next season unless we hear from you. Club member reservations will be taken in January. Other reservations will open in February as in the past. We hope to get off to a great start this spring by expanding out clientele to include weekend travelers and people visiting near by Charles town, WVA and Winchester, VA. We love referrals- so please tell a friend about us! Until next season- THANK YOU and have a wonderful holiday season! Wade and Sydney.
July 2010 Sydney and I just returned from a weekend of storm clean up at the Paddock. This weather has been a killer this year with lots of heat and a few very powerful storms. Lots of branches down but not the first storm this 200+ year old property has seen. We have made a few changes and upgrades as well. First is a new universal remote for the TV (no more messing with multiple remotes) and the second a new policy of leaving the A/C 's on low rather than fan during the hot weather as no one wants to arrive to a warm house. Both these changes are a result of feedback from you, our guests. We really do appreciate your suggestions and feed back! Please tell us what else we can do to keep you coming back.
March 2010 What a great response from everyone! Like you, we can't wait to get back on track! We had some interior paint work done over the winter and are waiting for warmer weather to take care of a few winter related projects. We still have weekends available early and late in the season. Check the calendar and consider alittle quality time at the Paddock with family or friends. All the best!
January 2010 Ok, folks the calendar has been updated to reflect all Club Member reservations as of Jan. 16, 2010. Thanks to everyone for sending in your dates! Please note that not all Club Members received all of their requested dates. Watch for an e-mail to confirm each of your dates for the 2010 season. We have a wait list for several of the weekends, so please double check your race dates. By now, everyone should have received our new rates for the 2010 season. The four night rental fee is now $1200.00. If this will affected your reservation status, please let us know ASAP. Rookie (first time Paddock Inn guests) reservations open Feb. 1, 2010. Thanks again and WELCOME BACK to the PADDOCK!!
December 2009 Wow, Another season at the Paddock is in the record books! And for the record- It would not be possible without all the dedicated people that keep making this happen year after year and all our long time guests that just keep coming back. THANK YOU!! The Paddock will open 2010 general reservations in February. Club member reservations open in January. Stay tuned for our 2010 season update in January!
July 2009 Summer at the Paddock! The spring weather in the area has made this one of the nicest seasons I can remember. The spring rains slowed production on our new parking area, however, I am proud to report we now have storage available for 6-8 trailers. If you need storage near the track, please call as our rates are cheap, cheap, cheap! Other little improvements include a second refrigerator for guest use located in the pool house and more outdoor furniture on the deck. The Paddock will be once again be supporting Summit Points "Race for reading" charity this year. The silent auction takes place over the Labor day weekend and supports the local community. Please consider bidding for a weekend stay at the Paddock and help others at the same time.
May 2009 Last month, low and behold, we forgot to book our own reservation at The Paddock for the Jefferson 500 event! Thankfully Matt and his family had a spare room and gracious hospitality. Staying with them was a delight- Thank YOU!
We've got quite a bit of news and activity right now! Wade has organized the contractors and a new parking area is scheduled for June 1st. located just behind the Cistern and to the left of the old red barn. Fences are coming down, dirt is coming in and hard surface is expanding! If you've ever considered storage near the track or a home for your trailer, now would be a good time to let Wade know!
There's a real live cowboy breaking horses in our paddock! He'll be there working everyday, please be very respectful, polite and mannerly when approaching the fence or asking questions. It's a dangerous job although it might not appear that way at first. The lower barn section is now off limits entirely as there are horses in every stall.
New rose bushes were planted all along the east side of the house, the sitting area by the cistern, along with some hosta, impatience and azalea. Two climbing hydrangea were planted near the back deck, and 6 honeysuckle vines on the first lattice wall. Feel free to clip fresh flowers for your enjoyment indoors!
December 2008 Our third full season has come to a close! Thanks to everyone who stayed with us, promoted us and helped us make it happen for another season! Please keep it up! 2009 is going to be even better with our new Paddock Club program. If you have stayed with us in the past you should have received A "welcome to the Club" e-mail and an invitation to book your 2009 dates now. General reservations will open in late January and we start the rental season March 1 or earlier if needed. Thanks again and please e-mail with any questions or just to say hello during the off season!
July 2008 Forth of July at the Paddock Inn. That's the last Sydney and I will see of the place for some time as you all have booked it solid for the rest of the month. Every race season new folks are finding us and our regulars keep coming back! Thank you! Wife decided we needed bad mitten in the barn so.... and apparently ping pong is next. Please be careful in the barn. Current horses are the mares from the babies earlier this year. A recent storm tore the flag assemble from the pole at the road (and thanks to whoever put it on the porch!) But I'm proud to say the checker flag is flying again!
APRIL 2008 With some of our winter chores completed, we are set for the 2008 season. New for this year is wireless internet access with instructions posted in the office. We didn't get to the expanded parking and storage area but haven't given up on it either. A few more reservations and we might have enough monies to get started on that. By popular demand, we are now making the big barn accessible to our past (read preferred) clients. It will be at your own risk, but inquire and we will tell you how to get in.
JANUARY 2008 As the Paddock Inn closes for the winter season we have so much to look forward to in 2008. Planning has begun on the improved parking area, horses are back with four mares expecting colts in the Spring, and we've fixed the water spicket by the back pasture. Now it's time to improve horsepower, hibernate and watch Summit Point videos!
NOVEMBER 2007 Thanks to everyone who helped make the first full season of the Paddock a terrific success! We heard so many good things from guests and visitors that we can't wait to make it even better! Some of the things we hope to add for the 2008 season include additional parking with trailer storage, wireless internet and barn improvements. Make your reservations anytime for the upcoming season and we'll see you at the Paddock in the spring!
JUNE 2007 Four terrific groups have stayed at the Paddock since March! April guests enjoyed a weekend at the track along with a freak snow squall and Easter egg hunt! May guests included members of SCCA and in June a family reunion! June also welcomes back our first guest ever- with many improvements since their last visit. We are very anxious to hear the feedback and see if we're going in the right direction!
Opening the pool this year occurred shortly after Memorial Day, over a period two weeks. I think we've finally figured pool management and now have a pool doc who visits daily to help ensure the pool stays in good shape for our guests! Say hello if you chance to see him, he's a high school friend of Wade's and we're thrilled to have his help!
We also have a new estate manager this year, a very nice man to mow, trim, take care of the trees and everything else. Finding folks who love the place as much as we do and that we trust has really been a relief!
We added two large picnic table to the back deck, along with lighting for the evening. We found and restored horseshoe pits between the corn crib and old white building! The grassy area there is great for playing and hanging out! An old set of golf clubs and new Bocce set are available for enjoying down time or for those not participating all day at the track! We found the largest can of legos I've every seen and just had to get them for kids with an imagination -it would take weeks to use them all.
We're looking forward to a great year and many great Summit Point sessions for our guests!
The Paddock March 2007
MARCH 2007 Many people have asked about the both the history of The Paddock and the rennovation work after our purchase of the farm in 2005. So, for anyone who's curious, here's our contribution.
A picture framed story on the wall of the Dining room tells the history of the house as we were told and have since verified through county records: The Paddock Inn What we know so far….
The Surrounding Area Located in Virginia’s lower Shenandoah Valley, northern ClarkeCounty is part of the Long Marsh Run Rural Historic District which encompasses roughly 10,290 acres. The area’s physical character is defined by rich, well-drained lime stone soils, over a rolling terrain. The combination of hilly and open pastures and the dramatic backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, provide spectacular vistas of unspoiled county side. The natural elements are further complemented by cultural features such as farms, crossroads, roadbeds, tree lines, hedgerows, stone fences, board fences and field patterns. Modern intrusions have been few until the past few years. The district contains several large antebellum estates associated with early families of the area including the Washington’s and Larue’s. Isaac Larue for which the road is named, settled in the area around 1740.
The Farm House The Paddock Inn originally named Ashwood; the Rield family home and was later owned by Addison Withers. The home began as a log house with the massive stone fireplace on an exterior wall. The entire dining room area is believed to have been the original “back porch”. The front section of the house nearest the road was added in the late 1800’s and includes a lower den area by the stairs, two upper bedrooms, and “ante” room outside the upper bath. During a renovation 1964 the front door was moved to its current location and wood paneling, popular at the time, was installed over the plaster and logs in the living room. The owner in 1964 was the granddaughter of Mr. A. J. Withers. A note documenting their renovation work is written on a two-by-four behind what is now a built in cabinet to the left of the front door. The lower bedroom is believed to have been the front porch, possibly enclosed during the remodeling phase in the early 1960’s. The kitchen, breakfast area and upper bedrooms and bath were also added during the 1960’s in addition to moving the front door. The exterior of the farmhouse was originally German siding over both log and post beam construction. The stucco was added 50 years ago.
The house sits on eight fenced acres. The back boundary is the second fence line behind the metal run in shed. Two pasture fields on either side separate the property from neighboring houses. The adjoining properties were subdivided from the farm in the mid 90’s. The total acreage belonging to the farm in 1790 is unknown at this time. The stone cistern, a focal point between the farm house and the large red barn, is reported to have been built after the civil war by to young men who had just returned from service (a similar one sits on a neighboring farm). The cistern, higher than the house, provided running water, one of the few houses in ClarkeCounty with such a feature. The big red barn is one of the largest of its kind in the surrounding area. The top section of the barn was rebuilt over the original stone foundation and framing after a tornado destroyed it in 2001. There are a total of six outbuildings, the smaller red barn, a run-in-shed, a corn crib, the white building with vertical wood siding, possibly used to dry tobacco, and finally, the pool house. We believe the swimming pool was added in 1991 when the farm was operated as a bed and breakfast by Mr. and Mrs. Phillips and known during that time as Maple Lane Farm. Large old Norwegian Maples lined half of the driveway until the fall of 2005, when the diseased ones were removed leaving the healthy trees in front of the house for shade and protection. Red and white Dogwoods, flowering crab trees and peach and apple trees are also on the grounds.
The farm was sold to its current owners in July of 2005 as a handy man special in need of TLC. It is our intention that The Paddock Inn become a unique gathering place for those who love racing!
The renovation work is ongoing... T. Wade and Sydney Herren.
