Letter: Helen Baird to Gertrude Seiberling

Letter

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Name/Title

Letter: Helen Baird to Gertrude Seiberling

Entry/Object ID

A 2025.12.b1.f5.6

Description

Letterhead is printed in the top right corner of letter paper and says, "Oak Hill, Delaplane, Virginia". The writer says she found a school that Gertrude should consider for Virginia, Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. It is located near Piedmont. It is an outdoors school. She mentions that many of the girls are from prominent New York, Philadelphia, and Washington families and that the girls are happy and healthy. The writer then says that Irene "must come down while Kitty is here". She mentions loving the country. She ends the letter saying she hopes Gertrude can come down but says she won't ask until they are a bit more settled.

Subject Person/Organization

Seiberling, Gertrude Penfield, Baird, Helen

Subject Place

Village

Delaplane

State/Province

Virginia

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Collection

PERMANENT COLLECTION

Cataloged By

Katrina Neff

Acquisition

Accession

A 2025.12

Source or Donor

Unknown

Acquisition Method

Found

Letter Details

Letter Date

Dec 9, 1919

Sender

Name

Helen Baird

Address

Oak Hill Delaplane, Virginia

Addressee

Name

Mrs. Seiberling

Primary Language

English

Transcription

Oak Hill Delaplane Virginia Dear Mrs. Seiberling, I have found such a lovely school for Virginia that I want to write and tell you about it. Miss Zolaud at Middleburg a girl just my age started it this year in an old Virginia house ten miles from the R.R. in the most lovely country. There is a stable and the girls can have their own horses or use the school horses – and they can hunt with the Piedmont + the Middleburg hounds and the Piedmont beagles. They sleep out of doors entirely and have indoor dressing rooms instead of bed rooms [sic]. The class rooms [sic] are out of doors in shacks which they use except in very heavy weather. The girls look fine so it must work well. I know that Virginia would love it and if you would really like to look into it you could come down after Xmas [sic]. It is 15 miles from here but we hunt over there and that is how I have seen the school. The girls are all from very prominent N.Y. Philadelphia + Washington families and they are all tremendously happy + healthy - + I guess they learn as much as girls do any where [sic]. You can write to Miss Charlotte Zolaud Foxcroft School Middleburg Virginia Irene must come down while Kitty is here. We have such a dear old house + I love the country so much and the life, + altogether I know that the combination will help Kitty to get well at present we are surrounded by carpenters but the only way to ever get done is just to move in + elbow them out. I hope you can come down but I’ll not ask you until we are a bit more settled – with love Helen Baird 9 December 1919—

Transcriber

Barb Vargo, Roberta Searle

Language

English

Created By

[email protected]

Create Date

January 16, 2026

Updated By

[email protected]

Update Date

August 11, 2026