BERRYVILLE, VA (May 7, 2019) For 20 years, the Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission has formally recognized individuals who have made distinctive efforts to preserve and maintain historic structures and places that help define the county’s cultural identity. Commission members will present Historic Preservation Awards to four recipients at a luncheon event beginning at noon Wednesday, May 15, at Camino Real restaurant in Berryville, Va. May is National Preservation Month. The 20th annual award recipients are Alain and Celeste Borel, Page Carter, White Post Restorations and Donnie Carver, and Don and Mary Shockey.
Alain and Celeste Borel
“Certificate of Merit” for the preservation of circa-1753 Mount Airy
Alain and Celeste Borel fell in love with Clarke County when they first visited in May 1980. Alain, a fourth-generation chef from Avignon, France, and Celeste, a baker, had worked in Key West, Florida, for 10 years. They wanted to live in the country, enjoy the seasons, and open a country inn. They purchased a historic home, Mount Airy, located on U.S. 340 north of White Post. Then, they opened L’Auberge Provençal on the property in July 1981. The family-run inn and restaurant has been winning awards and national media coverage ever since. As the business has grown and built a reputation based on its excellence, the Borels have expanded the property while maintaining the historic integrity of Mount Airy, a native fieldstone structure that dates to 1753.
L’Auberge Provençal guests experience luxurious accommodations as well as exceptional food and drinks. They also learn about Clarke County’s rich history and unique characteristics. For many people, this is their first or only exposure to the county, and the Borels make sure visitors appreciate their historical and agricultural surroundings.
For their stewardship of Mount Airy and unofficial roles as Clarke County ambassadors, the Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission presents a “Certificate of Merit” to Alain and Celeste Borel.
Page Carter
“Certificate of Merit” for the rehabilitation project at 1959 Millwood Road
Page Carter moved to Clarke County with her husband and young family in the early 1990s, and immediately began to make an impact within the historic preservation community. She established Carter-Burton Architects, an award-winning architectural design firm in Berryville. To do that, she also restored the woefully neglected Harford House building on Main Street, converting the former hotel and Masonic Hall that dates to the mid-1800s into the Carter-Burton offices. This was one of the first projects in the area to take advantage of rehabilitation tax credits.
Carter then rehabilitated her own home, The Glen, a historic property near Boyce, also using tax credits. She has been a longtime member of member of the Historic Preservation Commission, serving as an invaluable resource and advisor.
Carter’s most recent project is the rehabilitation of structures at 1959 Millwood Road in Millwood; one was once the Millwood post office. She brought two dwellings up to modern standards while maintaining their historic integrity. Carter leads by example, and the HPC presents her with a “Certificate of Merit” for her work in Millwood.
White Post Restorations and Donnie Carver
“Certificate of Merit” for the ongoing restoration of the village’s iconic white post
Bill Thompson opened White Post Restorations in 1940 as a farm machinery and car repair shop. His son, W.R. “Billy” Thompson II, transformed the business into a renowned leader in automobile restoration. Classic car aficionados worldwide know the village of White Post and its owners: W.R. Thompson III, and Billy Thompson IV. Locally, White Post Restorations is also known as the unofficial keeper of the iconic white post that sits in the intersection of White Post Road (Va. 658) and Berrys Ferry Road (Va. 628). Countless posts have stood in that spot over the centuries since young George Washington placed the first one there while surveying land for Lord Thomas Fairfax, who lived in nearby Greenway Court.
Cars and trucks have destroyed the post no less than 12 times over the past 38 years, and longtime White Post Restorations employee Donnie Carver has always rebuilt it. Most recently, a truck ran over the post in August 2018, and again Carver reached out to Mount Vernon to secure a small tree trunk to place inside the octagonal-shaped white post. Electricity was installed before the post was rebuilt last fall, so when Carver constructed the post in November 2018, he topped it with an electric lantern that glows at night like an old gas streetlight.
The Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission recognizes the hard work, collaboration, and cost required to preserve White Post’s historic landmark as it presents a “Certificate of Merit” to White Post Restorations and Donnie Carver.
Donald and Mary Shockey
“Stewardship Award” for Callander and Walnut Hall
Don and Mary Shockey could rightly be recognized for their decades of civic engagement, philanthropic contributions, and service to their communities. Don led his family’s Frederick County-based construction business — 123-year-old Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc. — as it became one of Virginia’s largest construction companies. Mary Gray Shockey has served on numerous boards across the region, many dedicated to causes near to her heart: education, social justice, and historic preservation. She co-authored In the Shadow of the Blue Ridge, a book that documents the significant, historic houses of Clarke County.
Don and Mary Shockey live at circa-1929 Callander Farm, and own a significant portion of Walnut Hall, built in 1910 and once a magnificent Thoroughbred farm and training center. The Shockeys have maintained and improved both properties, and last year they placed both in scenic easement with specific protections for the historic houses. Located next to each other along Annfield Road (Rt. 633), the two properties combined total 418 acres.
Don and Mary’s dedication to preserving and protecting these significant properties merits the recognition of the 2019 Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission’s “Stewardship Award.”
For more information about the Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission, its annual awards, and Clarke County history, contact architectural historian Maral Kalbian at 540-955-1231 or kalbian@mkalbian.com.
