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524 Longwood Avenue  Bedford, Virginia

Home of Dr. Walter Reed during the Civil War

You may know that Dr. Walter Reed found the cure for the mosquito-transmitted disease, Yellow Fever, but did you know that as a boy, he lived right here in Bedford?

From 1860-1861, Walter Reed’s father Lemuel S. Reed, was the Methodist minister for the Bedford Circuit. During this time, the Reed family lived in the parsonage at 524 Longwood Avenue. Walter was a very young boy when he came to Bedford, or "Liberty" as it was called back then.

Walter’s older brother, James, joined the Confederate forces as they marched down Longwood. According to a Methodist history book, he lost his hand in the war, and later joked, "I had a hand in that scrap!"

It’s fascinating to live in what we call "Bedford’s Best-Kept Secret!" A few years back, we found an intriguing out-of-print children’s book, Walter Reed: Boy Who Wanted to Know, by Helen Boyd Higgins. This book is a biography of the famous doctor and tells of everything from his boyhood to his medical accomplishments.

To us, the most exciting part of the book is where the author describes the interior of our house, referring to the study as well as pointing out how the Reed boys could look out the upstair window and see the Peaks of Otter! We do have a study downstairs, and we can see the Peaks from the front windows upstairs!

Please note that I took this photo at the base of Sharp Top.  This is not the same angle seen from the house!

The Lemuel S. Reed Tree

According to the books on Walter Reed, his father planted a tree in the yard of each parsonage before the family moved on.  We've often wondered which tree this could be in our yard!  It's our guess that it's the huge maple out front.

Walter Reed Artifacts?

Many people have wondered if we have found any interesting "artifacts" around the home or yard.  The truth is, this home has changed ownership so many times, between being the Methodist parsonage to more recently, a private residence, that we have not really found anything of tremendous note!  Most likely nothing of the Walter Reed era. (Except for those pesky mosquitoes in the summertime!  Walter Reed would have a heyday!)

After a heavy rain, we'll scratch up shards of old pottery or Blue Willow china, with the occasional glass bottle stopper, but nothing really out of the ordinary.  We have found some puzzling seashells buried about 4-5 feet into the ground.  There was also an old metal wheel off of a Victorian-era toy wagon! (See photo below)

Any current restoration projects?

Well, if any of you have ever lived in an old home, you will know that it is an ongoing restoration project!  Currently, we are working on a side garden; nothing fancy, just a flower bed! (See flower pictures below.)

 

(This was taken in early spring)

 

Is the Reed home open to the public?

No!  This has been a private residence for a number of years.  As far as I know, it has never been open to the general public, per se'.

AND NOW, MORE PHOTOS!

(All photos on this page taken by and property of Sarah Meadows.  All rights reserved.)

"Love in a Mist" flowers in our backyard.

My grandmother's daylily.

A male House Finch visits our feeder.

Guardian of the Garden? (Not really! He is usually in hiding!)

Longwood Avenue Sunsets

From time to time, people give us tidbits of information on the history of our house.  If you know anything that we might not, please write theenglishrobin@hotmail.com.

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