By Eliza Stone

Just shy of a two-hour drive from Richmond, on the west side of Charlottesville, lies the small town of Stuarts Draft, Virginia. Stuarts Draft was founded around 1736 by Archibald Stuart, an Irish and Presbyterian immigrant. My family found ourselves living in the Shenandoah Valley last fall after my father, Bill Stone, bought a pre-Civil War farmhouse. From the giant barn to the vineyard, to the unexpected herd of cows grazing on our land, rented by local farmers, our farm provides endless new experiences and vast differences from day-to-day life in Richmond. 

The view from the top of our driveway. Photo credit: Bill Stone.

Our property stretches over 176 acres and includes a trout stream, numerous fields, and a sprawling vineyard. While my dad lives there full time to more easily run his Charlottesville-based reclaimed wood company, my brother and I travel up once or twice a month. As we aren’t working farmers, we rent most of our land to local farmers whose cattle graze on our grass. A local vineyard rents a plot to grow grapes, and hay grows on a large field behind our house, which local farmers harvest.

Stuarts Draft on a map. Image credit: Seth Ilys.

As we grow accustomed to living on a working farm, more and more surprises arise. Just last month, we were contacted by our local coyote guy: a man who comes onto properties in the middle of the night to kill coyotes, as they can become dangerous to small children, pets, and livestock in large packs. This coyote man’s day job? A chemist for a fertilizer company. The community surrounding Stuarts Draft is constantly helping and taking care of each other, and although the houses in our area are very far apart, there is still a strong sense of community. 

Bookshelves in an antique store in downtown Stuarts Draft. Photo credit: Eliza Stone.

Downtown Stuarts Draft is reminiscent of the town’s warehouse-heavy industrial history. Large brick buildings with weathered mural advertisements line the streets, filled with antique stores drowning in clutter, farm supply stores, and boutiques filled with beeswax candles and art made from pressed flowers. From quirky stores to even quirkier store owners, one of our favorite shops to peruse is one that specializes in antique costumes. I can spend hours exploring the jam-packed shelves of old books filled with dog-eared pages and the names of their previous owners.

There is no Publix or Wegmans or any other chain grocery store, so we buy our groceries from The Cheese Shop, an Amish market with both commercial and local products made by the Amish population in Stuarts Draft. As the name suggests, the cheese is phenomenal, and the Libbie Market-esque sandwich counter is a regular lunch spot among locals. The shelves are lined with countless spices, coffee mixes, and candies. Time seems to move slower in The Cheese Shop, as shoppers wander the aisles, and local Amish people cut lunch meat and ring up customers. 

While technically in Staunton and not Stuarts Draft, my favorite breakfast spot in the area, Kathy’s Restaurant, has an 80s diner aesthetic with its red leather booths, hexagonal subway tile, and the best waffles in town. Kathy’s is also historically marked as the birthplace of the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson. Staunton is slightly bigger than Stuarts Draft, and the two are very close together. Staunton is full of references to Wilson, including a museum and library dedicated to his life.

Our barn in the snow. Photo credit: Eliza Stone.

In Stuarts Draft, it’s not uncommon to get stuck behind two horses and buggies riding side-by-side while you’re trying to return to Richmond on I-64, or to be frowned at after photographing an Amish family in their Sunday finest, fascinated by their traditional clothing and simplistic way of life. The Amish church up the street from our farm usually has thirty horses and buggies waiting outside on a Sunday. The Amish community keeps mostly to themselves, running local businesses and living in their neighborhoods, but I often see Amish men out and about or at the local hardware store. When we moved into our farm, our neighbor told us that if we didn’t want our enormous grain silos, as we are far from traditional farmers, the Amish would take them down and haul them out for free. 

Trips to Stuarts Draft have become an escape from the repetition of life in Richmond. Especially during the last year, we have all been desperate for a place to escape, and the farm provides that for me. It also lets me spend more time outside enjoying and exploring nature. Life is nonchalant and carefree at the farm, with little responsibility and even less to do. Even chores, like cleaning out the barns or repairing fences, feel fun and different. With limited WiFi and few local TV channels, my family can find the time to connect and spend time together cooking, exploring the fields, and fixing up and remodeling the house and the barns, things we rarely find time for in-between long workdays and late, homework-filled nights in Richmond.

The vineyard. Photo credit: Bill Stone.

The simplistic feeling of life on the farm is calming and fulfilling, and nothing beats sitting on the back porch at night, counting the infinite stars, and listening to the creek babble. So, if I’ve had a stressful week or am in desperate need of a change of pace, you will find me in Stuarts Draft, browsing antique stores, sitting on the porch with a good book, and enjoying the outdoors and time with my family.