Fancy Hill Tour with Genie Vaughn (2001)

This newly digitized 2001 home and garden tour offers a rare glimpse into Fancy Hill as it was thoughtfully curated by Genie and Gerald Vaughn, whose careful stewardship preserved the home’s character and collections for future generations. Featured as part of the Virginia Garden Club’s Homes and Gardens Tour, the video is hosted by Genie Vaughn herself, who leads viewers through the house with warmth, insight, and a deep appreciation for its history.

Built in 1821 and listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places, Fancy Hill stands as a living record of early American life in Rockbridge County. In this tour, the home is presented not as a static museum, but as a place shaped by generations—where objects, architecture, and memory are closely intertwined.

Genie guides viewers through the home’s principal spaces—including its central hallways, dining room, bedrooms, music room, warming room, and enclosed sun porch—highlighting an extensive collection of 18th- and 19th-century furnishings, artwork, and family pieces. Among the many features are English Sheraton and Chippendale furniture, a Sèvres chandelier acquired in London, early American paintings, textiles and quilts, and deeply personal artifacts passed down through the Vaughn family. Each piece is presented with a sense of continuity, connecting the home’s past to its lived present.

Today, much of that original curation remains. We have sought to preserve and build upon the Vaughns’ vision, retaining many of their furnishings and displaying numerous paintings throughout the house. At the same time, Fancy Hill continues to evolve. New spaces—such as the George Washington Parlor, the Robert E. Lee Parlor, and a period-inspired antebellum tavern—reflect an added emphasis on early American history, complementing the foundation the Vaughns established. We have also made thoughtful accessibility improvements, including the addition of an elevator and porch lift, allowing more visitors to experience the home while maintaining its historic character. These features were carefully integrated into the structure—for example, the elevator incorporates historic trim repurposed from elsewhere in the house—ensuring that modern access does not come at the expense of aesthetic continuity.

The video opens with a charming period detail—a recorded phone message regarding floral arrangements—and concludes with a montage of displays created for the tour by the Blue Ridge Garden Club, highlighting the home’s longstanding connection to the cultural life of the region.

We remain deeply appreciative of Genie and Gerald Vaughn for the care they have given Fancy Hill and for preserving this remarkable chapter in its story.