East lynn
Restoration Opens Door to Lost History
by susan purdy
Travelling south on Airmont Road from the village of Round Hill on the way to East Lynn Farm , it is easy to imagine how it might have looked in the years before and after the Civil War when Loudoun County was a thriving agricultural community . The winding road is lined with old stone walls and farms , with livestock peacefully grazing in emerald green fields beyond . Once past the Snickersville Turnpike by a few miles , East Lynn ’ s red brick farmhouse comes into view , now an elegant bed and breakfast and working farm producing grass-fed pasture-raised beef and lamb along with organic vegetables and hay . A historical marker on the road in front of the farm stands in remembrance of Bushrod Washington Lynn , Civil War soldier , state senator , prison reformer , and farmer . Lynn ’ s story was largely lost to history and local memory until Georgia Ravitz and her husband Peter Basser acquired the run-down property in 2009 . They began delving into its history while initiating a massive restoration project on the house and farm structures . Thanks to their vision , determination , and invest-
26 wander I spring • Summer 2021