In 1923, the 3-position traffic light was patented, and Calvin “Silent Cal” Coolidge became the 30th U.S. President. “The Great Gatzby” was published. The Reverend Charles William Stone and his sons of Bland County, Va., boarded with a family in Cambria to oversee their new house being built on land Rev. Stone had purchased. Bread was 7 cents a loaf and a postage stamp cost 2 cents. Once the family settled in, Rev. Stone, affectionately called Poppy, continued his rounds as a circuit preacher for Baptist churches throughout Southwest Virginia. He was instrumental in starting many churches. Life took on a comfortable routine for his wife, Roberta Nosler Stone, who supplement their income selling milk, butter and eggs. One of their sons, Ray, managed the plowing, planting, milking cows and chauffeuring the family in the 1929 Model A Ford another son, Glenn, purchased. Ray did the family laundry on Mondays, heating water on a coal stove in the wash house. Roberta ironed on Tuesdays. They hosted many weddings on the beautiful grounds, as well as overnight guests – traveling evangelists, pastors and weary travelers from the nearby depot. The couple had nine children. Their son Wendell Stone was 10 when he moved to Cambria. He established the restaurant Stone’s in 1956 in Christiansburg. It became Stone’s Cafeteria in the early 1970s. Its 50-year success included being named to the Top 100 Independent Restaurants in the Nation. Another Family Generation of Ownership “In 1980, Bill and I were offered the opportunity to purchase the property,” relates Wendell’s daughter Connie Moore, wife of Bill Moore. “With some preliminary renovations, we, along with our two sons, Brandon, 10, and Lance, 8, moved in during the spring of 1981. Our goal was to preserve many of the elements that made this home special. Although the property has been downsized through the years, it is important to us to continue the farm atmosphere. The barn lot is once again being used for special pets.”The side yard is shaded with a magnificent Norway Maple, and Connie continues to maintain multiple flower beds all around the property. The wash house is now a charming little outbuilding used for a garden shed, and the corn crib serves as a chicken coop for their flock. “Some of my grandmother’s flowers still make an appearance each spring – the peonies, daffodils, hyacinths and white lilac, but I’ve never had a master plan for the gardens,” Connie explains.As teens, her sons wanted a pond, so they dug a large hole and filled it with water and fish. “Landscaping took shape around this pond,” Bill states. “With time, it was downsized to what it is today.” A towering spruce tree is climbed each year by Lance to hang a large ball of lights symbolizing the star of Bethlehem.
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More Property Renovation Originally, the house was heated with multiple coal burning stoves. A root cellar and small basement were added along the way. When the Moore family moved in, the house had been updated with an oil furnace and electric baseboard heat upstairs. Not long after they took up residence, they had the electrical and plumbing systems and windows replaced. The house initially had four rooms on each of two floors. Now it contains 5 bedrooms and 3 ½ baths, plus lovely living spaces and an elegant kitchen. “Around 1998, we had Home Depot construct a two-story building for Bill to store lawn mowers and equipment. When I saw another potential, Bill agreed, and it became the she shed playhouse. Our grandchildren enjoyed many hours of fun, and Bill found other places for the equipment,” Connie says. Then in 2006, the couple added a “retirement wing” to the back of the house with a kitchen, walk-in pantry, den, bedroom, bathroom and laundry. The wash house and smoke house were relocated to accommodate this new space. Throughout the decades, these high school sweethearts and New River Valley natives, married for 57 years, have been excellent stewards of the property, dedicated to renovation as needed and preserving the farm vibe that embraces the entire property. The house is built on the Eastern Continental Divide, as stated in the Deed and as shown on a map.“We feel we have reached our goal, and there’s nothing more we would change,” Connie reveals. “We hope what we have done to pay tribute to my grandparents’ home place would have pleased them.” Text by Joanne M. AndersonPhotos by Tom and Christy Wallace
