PHFS returns land
Published 5:22 pm Wednesday, October 23, 2019
- Land that was donated to Patrick Henry Family Services in 1968 was returned back to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation. Pictured are, from left, Bruce Olsen, supervisor of Buildings and Grounds at Patrick Henry’s Red Hill; Jeff Nitz, COO, Patrick Henry Family Services; Robert Day, CEO, Patrick Henry Family Services; Hope Marstin, CEO, Patrick Henry’s Red Hill; Jack Schaffer, president of the Patrick Henry Descendants’ Branch; Elsie Rose, board of directors, Patrick Henry’s Red Hill; Gene Smith, chairman of the board of directors, Patrick Henry’s Red Hill.
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On Monday, Oct. 14, Patrick Henry Family Services (PHFS) officially returned 400 acres of land that was donated to them in 1968 by the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation.
According to Myra Trent, director of Community Relations for the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, the land that was given back was initially part of Patrick Henry’s estate. “The Foundation gave Patrick Henry Family Services the land to support the creation of Patrick Henry’s Boys Home as a home for orphaned boys,” Trent said in a release.
Patrick Henry Family Services are no longer offering on-site residential care at the Boy’s and Girl’s Home located in Brookneal, and currently, there are no children living in the group homes on the property. According to PHFS they are mainly providing counseling to children and families as well as offering fostering opportunities.
Bonnie George, gift shop manager at Patrick Henry’s Red Hill, said, “Per the original documents that were drawn up in the 1950s when the Memorial Foundation donated the land to Patrick Henry Family Services, the property had to be returned to the Memorial Foundation due to the current situation.”
“The Foundation, … is excited to have part of Henry’s original estate back and is looking forward to continuing its efforts to preserve the legacy of Patrick Henry and Henry’s garden spot of the world,” added Trent.
The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation is devoted to education and historic preservation. Established in 1944, the Foundation promotes educational and research programs about the life, character, times, philosophy and legacy of Patrick Henry.
As part of that mission, the Foundation maintains and interprets Red Hill, Patrick Henry’s last home and burial place, as a historic site and museum.
The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation was founded to care for Red Hill and establish it as a National Memorial to Patrick Henry.
After acquiring Red Hill from Lucy Gray Henry Harrison, a great-granddaughter of Patrick Henry and the final descendant to live on the estate, the Foundation began the process of restoring the property and constructing a museum to house what is now the largest collection of Patrick Henry-related memorabilia in the country.
Red Hill is located in both Charlotte and Campbell counties and currently consists of just over 1,000 acres.
