Some bizarre encounters at the Winery

The Winery at Bull Run is located quite close to the historical Manassas National Battlefield Park. The place has a long history and quite a few of stories have unfolded here. It is quite natural that the people who are associated with the winery in the present would have certain outrageous accounts of happenings that occurred with them at the place. Some of the bizarre events that the employees and even the owners of the Winery witnessed are documented below.

By Dean Gruenburg, Tasting Room Manager 

April 2014 

The past spring he kept getting bizarre smells at the bottom of the steps of the tasting room. Initially he thought that they may have been coming from the bathrooms or the barrel room. He walked towards the bathrooms but nothing smelled out of the ordinary. SO he went downstairs to the barrel room and all that he could smell was the wood oak of the winery and the rustic wine. SO he came back upstairs. As he was walking up towards the General Deck's door it came again. As he opened the door the horrid smell very strangely vanished. He walked up to the deck and checked everywhere for that smell but found nothing. He came back down and shut the door. Just as he was about the walk down the stairs towards the tasting room the odor brushed across his face. He asked it to move away from him and go higher towards the staircase near the General Deck's door. Immediately he heard the sound of footsteps on a flight of stairs above him. 

By Cole Farmer, TWABR Staff

November 2013 

He and an accomplice Tyler were outside taking out the trash. When they were by the Hillwood Ruins, Tyler decided to take a seat on the Ruins. At the time the Winery had lights placed there although nothing was plugged in. When Tyler sat down all the lights suddenly turned on. Weirded out a little he got up and shouted “What the..?” and without any warning the lights turned off. Again he sat down and the lights switched on. Bothe of them thought it wise to rush towards the winery.

By Jon Hickox, Owner

Recently Jon met up with his good friend Bill and had a nice chat with him regarding the winery's exciting history. Bill boards a horse at the neighboring Union Ridge Horse Farm. During their conversation Bill mentioned the story of the lost cavalry and shared the horrifying experience of a young man ten years ago. It was right after sunset when the young man was riding towards the back of the field leading to Sudley Ford. He had been trail on the Manassas Battlefield since early morning and was very tired. All of sudden he heard a loud “Thump Thump” and subsequently the echoes of hundred's of horses' hooves galloping along. As he stopped for a moment to see where the sounds were coming from he could find nothing. As he turned to leave all at once a huge troop of civil War cavalry rode right through him. The young man just froze totally bewildered. 

For more details please visit : http://www.wineryatbullrun.com/

Going Back in Time - Narrating the History of Historic Hillwood

Location of our winery is right next to the historic Manassas National Battlefield Park; and this is something the visitors to our winery just can’t avoid. Its the stone ruins of historic Hillwood house that attracts them strongly. The chimney & foundation of this historic house still stand and have become a place for people to gather besides serving as a link to the past. A rich, interesting history is associated with Hillwood. It was during the 1840s that the Weir family owned the land where our winery sits at present. A total of 513 acres was included in the estate at one point of time. It can be said that the walls of Hillwood would speak up the details of the first & second battles that took place at Bull Run. The Hillwood House was quite near to the fighting scene and must have also witnessed the activities of Union and Confederate soldiers during the battle period. 

The Stone Bridge that acts as the source of our winery’s label is located near Route 29, south of Hillwood. Built in 1825, this marvelous looking bridge was blown up by the Confederate Soldiers in the year 1862. As only the center span was blown up, re-building the bridge was very much possible. It was rebuilt with help of wood later; however, after Union soldiers faced defeat in Second Manassas, they blew it up again. It would bring to your mind the confusion that Hillwood House may have got destroyed too. But actually, the house remain undamaged though its ownership kept on changing after the Civil war. It was hard for the family farmers to make a go of the land straight away after the war. Julius T. Richards, an enthusiastic collector of Civil War artifacts bought the house during the depression. He built the National Battlefield Museum to the east of Stone Bridge on Route 29. Today, there is a visitor parking lot at this place. Richard’s museum includes more than 100,000 artifacts that serve as a source of interest for art lovers. 

If you wish to learn more about Hillwood, you can visit our winery’s tasting room. In this nicely adorned room, you will get to see photos of the historic Hillwood house. Its always quite soothing for wine lovers to stop by our winery and relish some of the best wines of Virginia. You can also explore the beautiful VA vineyards as you go for exploring the nearby area. TWABR is not just the most sought-after place for relishing wines but also a preferred site for arranging corporate events. Its not just company parties that you can organize at TWABR; you can also arrange a business meeting, seminar, charity auction, product launch party, fundraiser, and team building events as per your requirement. Surely, you will make a lasting impression on your guests when your organize your next Corporate event at TWABR.