"Discover Morven Park" Day This Saturday

will celebrate the re-opening of the Gov. Davis mansion this Saturday . The historic home has been closed for two months due to significant enhancements to the mansion exhibits.

Director of Preservation Jana Shafagoj said all of the floors have been redone. Dozens of collection items are also on display such as furniture, ceramics, and textiles, following many years of storage.  

“We basically dismantled every room for a good cleaning, reassembled the rooms and brought out a lot of items that had been in storage for decades to improve the furnishing of each room and make it look more like what it was like in the Davis era,” Shafagoj said, adding that all of the items are original.

“There’s a whole lot more furniture in the rooms now and a lot more knick knacks that really showcase where the Davis' traveled during their lifetime and their sense of style, taste, and home décor.”

Visitors will also have the chance to experience the site’s new QR code tour, which will allow visitors to scan codes and see the mansion and grounds as they were in the early 1900s. The program utilizes archival photos as well as articles published in Southern Planter magazine while owned by Gov. Davis.

“It will provide the visitors with an added sense of what the rooms looked like especially now that most of the items have been pulled out and put into the rooms,” said Senior Interpreter Kevin Bowman. “A lot of how the furniture was arranged was based off of the photographs that these QR codes are based off of. The historic image will be nearly identical to how it appears today.”

March 3 also marks the launch date for a new tourism program for people visiting regional Civil War sites during the Sesquicentennial years. Bowman said the property will serve as Loudoun County’s Civil War “Rallying Point,” from which tourists can plan their visits to sites throughout the county and beyond.

To celebrate, a reenactment of the 17th Mississippi Regiment will take place as its members pack up their camp and depart Morven Park, just as the Regiment did exactly 150 years ago.

Guests are also invited to visit the Winmill Carriage Museum or the north side of the property to watch horses and riders from throughout Virginia and Maryland compete in the National Capital Equitation League.

“Discover Morven Park” Day will take place on Saturday, March 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. rain or shine. Mansion and museum tours will be regularly but all other activities are free for the day. Complete directions and a map are available at www.MorvenPark.org/directions.

Schedule of Events
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
National Capital Equitation League – Indoor arena.

11 a.m.
17th Mississippi Regiment begins firing and drilling demonstrations – Mansion lawn.

 
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Mansion opens for tours and Rallying Point program launches – Gov. Davis Mansion.

12:30 p.m.
Tours of replica huts – Site of Confederate encampment.

2 p.m.
Ceremony marking 150th anniversary of 17th Mississippi departure – Mansion lawn.

2:30 p.m.
Reenactment of troop departure – Mansion lawn.