For 25 years, Scribner’s editor Maxwell Perkins sent letters to Welbourne, a historic Middleburg estate with stories of horses, royals, and a secret literary romance. Built in 1750, the estate was home to Colonel Richard Henry Dulany, a passionate horseman who founded the oldest hunt club in the country.
Rebecca Schaefer, the innkeeper at Welbourne, keeps her family’s stories alive, including those of her great aunt Elizabeth Lemmon, a Baltimore debutante with a passion for opera, baseball, and raising champion boxer dogs. Lemmon had a close friendship with Perkins, exchanging intimate letters for 25 years until his death in 1947.
Perkins, known for nurturing talents like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, visited Welbourne and even asked Lemmon to host authors like Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. Both authors wrote stories based on the estate, with Wolfe describing it as surpassing Mount Vernon in warmth and naturalness.
Despite their deep connection, Lemmon insisted that her relationship with Perkins was platonic. The letters between them, discovered after Perkins’ death, shed light on their secret love. She never married, and they met for the last time at the Ritz Bar in New York in 1943.
Today, Welbourne remains a comfortable inn and sanctuary for retired horses. With its rich history and gracious host, Rebecca Schaefer, the estate welcomes guests to experience a step back in time. The legacy of the estate and the hidden love story of Perkins and Lemmon continue to captivate visitors and guests alike.
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Photo credit virginialiving.com