Chinqua-Penn Plantation is re-opening to groups on a limited basis during October 2006. Afterwards, the new owner will be tranforming the run down mansion and gardens into a place to live, play, work and relax.
Jeff Penn, heir to the American Tobacco Company, and his wife Betsy, heir to the Niagra Falls Power Company, had more money than common sense. They traveled the world buying all kinds of things and showcased them in their 1925 Y-shaped home in Reidsville, North Carolina.
I worked there in 1999 - and know some of the things they purchased, such as a gemstudded replica of King Tut's chair, a pipe organ to entertain guests and a riding chair that was later used as a model for Thomasville Furniture. You sat in the chair while putting on your riding boots.
The Penns were as uniquely colorful as the items they purchased. Community gossip says that while she traveled, he played. One night, the 3-story tall windmill burned. You might say that was his "pad."
After a trip to China, Mrs. Penn replicated the bedroom slept in overseas into her Reidsville home. It had jade doorknobs. This photo is of the interior of that room.
That room was just as colorful as the massive gardens, including my favorite, the one with all the scented roses!
I'm delighted to see Chinqua-Penn reopen so the public can see the beauty and bounty that fills the home. It's located off US Hwy. 29 North, just 10 minutes south of Danville, VA.
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