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The Grounds
Abram Garfield designed the major buildings on the grounds today.
The brick Stable Complex includes a Tack Room where hoof carvings that are tack hooks and hand-carved ends of saddle racks are on display. The Carriage Room houses carriages and wagons, including the wagon President Eisenhower rode in when he was a shooting guest at Pebble Hill.
The large, white, frame house that overlooks the kitchen garden is known as the “O.C.” (Overflow Cottage). Today, this house is available for rental.
Other unique sites on the grounds include the Nurse’s Station/Fire House/Carpenter’s Shop building, Dog Hospital, Noah’s Ark, Log Cabin School, Swimming Pool, Family Cemetery, Tennis Court, Kitchen Garden, Slow Down I Mean It sign, Picnic Area, Plantation Store, Stable Complex, Tack Room, Carriage Room, the Waldorf, Pump House, and the Main Car Garage.
Nurse’s Station/Fire Engine/Carpenter’s Shop
The building which houses the Nurse’s Station, Carpenter’s Shop, and fire engine was built in 1929. The center portion of the building has the fire truck for the property. This vehicle was manually pulled and contained a large gas-operated fire extinguisher and other fire-fighting equipment. The Carpenter’s Shop was used as a work station for the maintenance staff and is still utilized today by the Pebble Hill staff.
Dog Hospital
The Dog Hospital was used to isolate a dog(s) who either needed or was recovering from veterinary attention. There are indoor rooms and two outside runs where dogs could be quarantined if needed. A veterinarian came from town to treat the dogs.
Noah's Ark
The Noah’s Ark building is located near the picnic area by the pond. This unusual structure was originally built to be the bath house at a lake property that Mrs. Poe owned. It was moved to Pebble Hill in advance of the plantation’s being opened to the public.
Inside the Ark is a mural by Florida artist, J. Clinton Shepherd. The mural, commissioned by Mrs. Poe, features two of every animal. Be sure to notice that each kind of animal has his appropriate food next to him. When Shepherd showed the completed work to Mrs. Poe, she asked that he add food for the animals. Both Noah and his wife are pictured as well. There is an animal identification chart inside the building.
Two other murals by Mr. Shepherd can be seen when you take the Main House tour.
Log Cabin School
The Log Cabin School is the oldest building on Pebble Hill today, having been built in 1901. Mrs. Harvey’s children, Livingston and Pansy, were tutored here during the winter months while the family stayed at Pebble Hill.
One side of the building is the schoolroom. A tutor from Cleveland accompanied the family to teach the lessons. If there were guests here who had school-age children, the children could continue their studies with the tutor during their visit.
The other side is the playroom. Toys that belonged to Livingston and Pansy are on display here. This area provided a dry place for the children to enjoy on rainy days.
Swimming Pool
The swimming pool is located on the east end of the Main House. The pool was built in 1920 for the enjoyment of the family and guests. The brick Pool Bath House was added in 1922.
In 1934 when the then Main House caught fire, the water from the pool was used to keep the fire from spreading to the loggia wing of the house. Today the pool is for viewing only; no swimming is allowed.
Family Cemetery
The Family Cemetery on Pebble Hill is comprised of two sections. The front part is the original cemetery where the founder of Pebble Hill and his relatives are buried. The back section was added in 1932 for the Hanna family. At that time, the brick walls for the cemetery and adjacent Tennis Court were added by Mrs. Harvey. There are plaques in place in both sections that identify each person buried there and his/her connection to the plantation.
Tennis Court
The Tennis Court was put in place in 1915. Guests often enjoyed playing tennis here as one of many different outdoor activities that Pebble Hill had to offer. Today the Tennis Court is serves as the site for weddings, wedding receptions, and other parties.
Kitchen Garden
The garden, brick wall, and garden shed were constructed in 1917. Vegetables were grown here for use in the kitchens on the property. Today, flowers and plants fill the beds. At the lower end of the garden is a flower garden with plantings to attract butterflies. This garden is one of the favorite sites for wedding ceremonies.
Slow Down I Mean It
The “Slow Down I Mean It” sign on the main drive was put in place by Mrs. Poe as a warning for drivers to be aware of the animals that might be crossing the road. The sign is kept in place today to remind everyone of the importance of the animals to Mrs. Poe. Our Stables Manager, Brenda Singletary, crosses the drive with horses as she moves them from one paddock to another. So the sign is still a good reminder to everyone to drive slowly at Pebble Hill.
Picnic Area
The picnic area overlooks the pond. Picnic tables and small grills stay setup year-round. The shade of the towering pine trees provides the perfect place to enjoy lunch on the grounds. This area makes a great gathering place for friends and family.
Plantation Store
The Plantation Store building originally served as a store for the dairy products that were produced by the Jersey cows. There are also meat lockers in the back where game was stored.
Stable Complex
The Stable Complex was originally built in 1928 as a home for Mrs. Harvey’s Jersey herd. Abram Garfield, an architect from Cleveland, Ohio, was employed to design this brick complex. At that time, separate wooden stables and a carriage room were in place adjacent to this complex.
Mrs. Harvey sent her overseer to the Isle of Jersey to purchase the original stock for the herd. The center serpentine wall created a show ring for the courtyard. During the period from 1928 to 1936, dairy shows and auctions were held here. The various areas of the complex were originally designed and utilized as a cow barn, bull pen, maternity barn, calf barn, and milking area. There are dormitory-style rooms above a portion of the complex where the young men, known as the Dairy Boys, who cared for the animals lived.
When Mrs. Poe inherited the property following her mother’s death, she started remodeling the complex to accommodate horses rather than strictly cows. She did leave a section of the cow barn and a milking area for the few Jerseys she kept. However, the rest of the structure was converted to accommodate her horses and this is the way you find the complex today.
Pebble Hill is home today to 12 horses and mules [listed below]. All of the animals enjoy getting attention from our visitors.
- Duke & Prince are Belgian Drafts
- King & Earl are Black Percherons
- Sally is a Clydesdale
- JellyBean & Amos are Tennessee Walkers
- Niles Lane is a Thoroughbred
- MacyBelle is an Overo Paint Quarter Horse
- Carry, Jim, and Jeff are Belgian Mules
Tack Room
The Tack Room is located in a part of the Stable Complex. Several of the more interesting items in this room were carved by Mrs. Poe’s resident carver, Gene Pullen. The almost life-sized horse, the decorative carved ends of the saddle racks, and the bridle holders are among pieces of his work. The bridle holders are hoof carvings of some of Mrs. Poe’s horses. On display here are saddle patent models and salesmen samples. Most of these have identification tags still attached to them.
Carriage Room
The Carriage Room is a part of the Stable Complex. The carriages and wagons for the plantation are stored here. Several of the wagons have cages on the back where the dogs rode. The wagon that President Eisenhower rode in when he was a shooting guest at Pebble Hill is housed here. To read more about the carriages in the PHP collection, click on this link.
The Waldorf
The Waldorf building, built in 1929, was the laundry for the plantation. The staff named the structure the Waldorf Astoria because they said it was the nicest laundry they had ever seen. The name stuck, and later was shortened to simply the Waldorf. Items were laundered on the first floor and then carried by dumbwaiter to the drying room upstairs. Once dry, items would be brought back to the first floor and ironed. The ladies who worked here lived in the building. This building contains a kitchen and dining room, which were used originally for hunt breakfasts and later by grounds workers.
Pump House
The Pump House contains the original central heating boiler system. The heating system for the plantation was supplied by two large coal-fired steam boilers manufactured by the Kewanee Boiler Company. The building also houses the two large wells that served the plantation. Today, one of the wells is still the water source for the plantation.
Main Garage
The Garage at one time housed the cars that belonged to the family, however, only the Plymouth Valiant and Chrysler Wagon remain in the garage today. The family collection once included the following:
- 1934 Packard Phaeton
- 1948 Lincoln Continental
- 1951 Cadillac Sedan
- 1960 Bentley S2
- 1964 Plymouth Valiant
- 1968 Chrysler Wagon
- 1954 Ford Country Sedan Wagon
The Plymouth Valiant was Mrs. Poe’s last car.
The Chrysler Wagon was used to pick up guests at the airport and to transport the staff from Pebble Hill to the family’s home in Kentucky.
The Bentley belonged to Mr. Poe. He ordered it and had it shipped directly from Great Britain to Thomasville.
Another interesting item that was located here was the Tralette. This was the luggage trailer that was pulled at the back of the Packard when the family traveled.
