Speaking Event

Fellow WBTS blogger Michael Hardy will be a guest speaker at our Lexington SCV Camp on 8 May 2007. Michael is an accomplished writer and we are all looking forward to his visit. Our camp now meets at historic Col Alto in Lexington.

Col Alto: "This stately mansion was constructed in 1827, as a four-over-four classical revival structure for James McDowell, former Governor of Virginia from 1843-46, who bought the 328-acre property from his father, Colonel James McDowell. Governor McDowell did not live here during his term in office, however, he entertained many guests here before, during and after he served as Governor. His daughters often were hostesses to Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson in the decade before the Civil War. Governor McDowell named the property 'Col Alto,' which is Italian for “on the high,” because at that time it was the only structure on the east side of Lexington and had unobstructed views of the city and the Blue Ridge Mountains."