History

The Conference Center’s history dates back to colonial days.  In 1761, King George III of England made a generous land grant that took in both Eagle Eyrie and Natural Bridge.  The land was later divided between Nicholas Davies, who received Eagle Eyrie, and Thomas Jefferson, who received the remainder.  During the Revolutionary War, Davies was known as "The Eagle."  He used his secluded mountain estate as a refuge from the British, and the name "Eagle’s Eyrie" (meaning "Eagle’s Nest"), later shortened to "Eagle Eyrie," came into use.

When William Merriwether purchased the property in 1852, the deed included a tavern known as "Eagle Eyrie."  The Odgen family owned and operated the tavern from March 1858 to October 1909 when they sold to Seymour Locke, a New York attorney, from whom Locke Mountain acquired its name.  The Baron Q. Quarles von Ufford bought the property in 1915 and built the white mansion house, but was forced to sell at the outbreak of World War I when public sentiment had him falsely labeled as a German agent.  The estate passed through numerous other hands until 1950 when the Virginia Baptist General Board purchased the original two hundred acres from O.J. Stephenson, a former Canadian and London broker.

To learn more about the history of Eagle Eyrie, The Romance of Eagle Eyrie, written by Annie L. Carlton, is available at the Eagle Eyrie Bookstore.