At Edgewood, we love nature and nature needs bees to sustain life.
Our primary focus is bringing you natural, raw honey and other beautiful on-farm created products. We also work with a small list of carefully chosen producers, source locally, and look forward to tailoring our product offerings to better meet the growing needs of our community.
Pictured, left: The Bee Hive @Edgewood
Our story
Our family fell in love with Edgewood the moment we first walked the 60+ acre property, in 2020. It was actually the one room log cabin tucked away in the forest, near the pond, which made us swoon. It was already named, The Bee Hive. When you visit, we think you’ll understand why this place is so special! We knew in our hearts this would be our forever home. With all the chaos in the world, this property exuded a sense of calmness and peace. We could see our girls running around barefoot and free here.
Purchasing Edgewood was a small homecoming for me. I grew up on a small farm in Powhatan, Va where soy beans and corn were the rotation crops. My parents were raised in Virginia tobacco fields and today are still farming cattle. Our extended family has farmed Virginia land for fifteen generations. I spent much of my childhood running around & exploring the dairy farm of my ‘adopted’ extended family. I was told walking in cow manure would make me taller as an adult. I’m here to confirm that’s definitely NOT the case!
As a teenager I promptly avoided as much outside work as possible; I would rather iron shirts than harvest vegetables or weed the garden. I desired to call the city my home and had big dreams outside of farmland Virginia. However, as an adult, I was always sharing my ‘country’ roots and looking to learn more; from cooking, food preserving, gardening and everything in-between. Fast forward twenty years, after long stints in California and Oregon, I could not be happier to be back in ‘the country’, in Virginia, to be HOME. Thankfully, time changes everything.
Meet the Sweeney Family, Edgewood’s curators
Today, Edgewood has been expanded to over a hundred acres, dedicated to protecting nature’s undeniable beauty.
Arial view of Edgewood, 2020
Edgewood, circa 1940.
The Edgertons added tall columns to the front of the home and the Farleys added wings on both the left and right of the 1910 structure.
A Beautiful History
For over 20 years, Edgewood was cared for by the Farley family. Around town, it was lovingly referred to as “The Farley Farm”. The Farleys raised four daughters here, making the transition to our four-daughter family very serendipitous. We received the nicest note from them after we purchased the home, blessing our family and ensuring us great things were in our future here.
The property presents a beautiful stately home at its welcoming entrance. The original house was constructed circa 1910. In the 1990s, the main house was expanded by the Farleys to include two wings on each end and a back covered porch stretching the length of the home.
Prior to the Farleys, Edgewood was maintained by the Edgertons. Captain Edgerton and his wife also raised a daughter here. The Edgertons and their Tennessee Walkers enjoyed the property; building a stable, adding a pole barn and constructing the one room log cabin by hand. The cabin, known as The Bee Hive, boasts trees harvested from the property and stripped by hand. Cadets from Fork Union Military Academy assisted Captain Edgerton in the construction. The Edgertons also bricked the structure and upgraded the home’s entrance to include the two tall columns still seen today. We recently met Captain Edgerton’s grandson and wife. We’re thrilled to make that connection which will enable us to share more property history with you.
Since moving to Bremo Bluff, many community members have shared with us delightful memories of playing in the fields of Edgewood, recalling Captain Edgerton’s train collection, love of horses and airplanes. We are thrilled to continue Edgewood’s legacy of being a welcoming, community gathering place.
In 2021 & 2022, wanting to ensure protection of the adjoining forests and local wildlife, the Sweeneys purchased two additional parcels running along James Madison Highway. These purchases expanded Edgewood to over one hundred acres. Work immediately commenced to connect the properties; ensuring access and walkability through new and established trails.
As a result, our vision for Edgewood grows each day. We look forward to evolving our offerings and fulfilling the needs of our greater community.
Envisioning the Future with Honey Bees
For years, Jason and I have been fascinated by bees and their magical nectar. In Oregon, I would buy local honey by the gallon. It was always a fabulous day when our good friends would bring us honey from their farm. You can rest assured I would promptly return my empty jar for a refill! Too much honey is just not a thing but running out is simply horrific.
When we landed in Virginia one of the first local items we sought out was, of course, honey! Virginia has an amazing bee keeping affinity and we are thrilled to join such a generous community. When we decided to open an apiary at Edgewood we wanted to begin the journey with a number of colonies to ensure this would become a self-sustainable operation.
Fifty hives turned into fifty-five and then suddenly into seventy as I searched to obtain spring nucleuses earlier! As bee husbandry goes, that’s a lot! So here we go on our adventure! We are thrilled you’re here to be part of our journey. Thank you so much for supporting our local farm and various community farming initiatives!
“We spent 2021 dreaming, observing and praying over the future of Edgewood…we’re eager to deepen our roots here in Bremo Bluff and its surrounding areas. Our hope is that Edgewood becomes known for its dedication to farming sustainability and community building.”
- Amanda Sweeney, Edgewood