Zacchariah Redfearn House
Maude T. Redfearn House
David E. "Dave" Redfearn House
Ray V. Phillips House
Sara Belle Redfearn Phillips House
Sara Philips Lear and Lou Phillips Hancock House
Sara Phillips Lear House and Bed-and-Breakfast
Carport Added to Original Property
Earlier View
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Sara Elizabeth Phillips Lear: I grew up in this house, and now some forty-five years later, I am returning to it. We are in the process of converting the house to a Bed-and-Breakfast because we want to keep the home in the family and because Chesterfield has limited facilities for visitors to the community.
The house was built in the mid-1800’s, although we cannot confirm an exact date, and it has remained in our family over the years. My great-grandfather, Zacchariah "Zach" Redfearn (1847 - 1928), lived here with his family. He was married to Sara Elizabeth Grady (for whom I am named), and together they had eight children. At his death the house was inherited by his daughter, Maude T. Redfearn (1878 - 1939), his only child who never married.
According to the Deed Book recorded at the Chesterfield County Courthouse, my grandfather, David E. Redfearn (1877 - 1947), became the owner in 1940. My father, Ray V. Phillips, was retiring from the United States Navy in the 1940’s, and he and my mother, Sara Belle Redfearn Phillips, planned to move to Chesterfield. They bought this house, and while it was being remodeled, we lived across the street in the Jack Vernon house, now occupied by Penny Vernon.
My father died in 1946, and Mother died in 1981. At Mother’s death, my sister, Mary Lou Phillips Hancock, and I inherited the house. In 1992, I purchased the house and became the sole owner. The house sits on an acre lot located about one-half mile from the Chesterfield County Courthouse. The house is currently (2003) under renovation in preparation to be a Bed-and-Breakfast establishment. The balcony on the upper level has been restored, and the original floors have been refinished. I have been told that the house had a full front porch and side porches (now screened). The posts for the porches were made from tree trunks with knots still attached (as remembered by Edgar Rivers, a cousin). Each room had a corner fireplace with the exception of the living room. The fireplace in the living room is centered in one wall and is still in use today. The kitchen, as in most houses of that time, was detached from the main house and probably was torn down over the years. The house had no indoor plumbing
until well into the 20th century.
This house holds many memories for our immediate family and for many others who were a part of our larger family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. My sister, Mary Lou, remembers being in the living room when told of the outbreak of WW II and of Daddy’s being recalled to active duty. My aunt, Lila Redfearn Williston, remembered ghost stories being told to children at night as they sat on the front steps. Another aunt, Amy Hendrix Redfearn, had her first taste of collards and cornbread here.
Two old trees stood in the corner of the front yard, one a huge magnolia and the other a large chinaberry. I spent may happy hours climbing in those two trees. A cousin, Diane Williston Benthall, experienced a serious fall from one of the trees. Both trees have since been removed, but two camellia bushes in the front yard were planted when the house was built, and they continue to thrive today. A holly tree holds the initials of many sweethearts over the years, and my initials were carved there about 45 years ago. I vaguely remember a barn in the backyard, and there was also a well with a pump that had to be primed when the water pressure was low.
As a five-year-old, I remember crossing the street going to my grandparent’s home, the house now (2003) occupied by Ken and Judy Dinkins, when I was struck by a truck and seriously injured. I spent six weeks recovering from that accident. Another memory I recall is one of the oil heater that was located in a central hall where I would stand wrapped in a towel to dry after a bath. On one occasion I backed into the heater and was so severely burned that it was difficult to sit for several days. Mary Lou and I both had our first dates in this house, and our parents died here. As you can see, the house holds many memories for me.
In 1947, Robert L. Gaskins, one of my mother’s former students, returned to Chesterfield with his bride, Margie Werre Gaskins. While serving in the U. S. Army, he had met and married a Boston girl, and they were desperate for a place to live. He begged Mother to rent the upstairs to them. She consented, and this was the beginning of many lasting friendships for us. Mother told me not to go upstairs and bother Marge, but as soon as Mother would go to work, up the stairs I would go and beg Marge to “Talk Boston” for me. I loved her accent but could hardly understand some of the things she said. She has become a true Southerner with just a trace left of the “Boston Brogue”. She taught me many things, including how to iron men's handkerchiefs and pillow cases.
From this beginning of renting rooms, many people came into our lives; most were associated with the school system. Mr. M. A. Kay, principal of Chesterfield High, asked to rent a room, and when Mother told me this, I announced that I would leave home if she rented to him. Well, she did, and I did, but I got only as far as the corner and soon returned home. Over the years I really grew to love Mr. Kay and considered him a family member.
Other renters included Rupert Blanton, Randy Bridges, Hugh Stephenson, Rivers Lynch, Dennis Cox, John Mayfield, Frank Dickson, Arnold Coull, Henry Suggs, the Reverend Bert Watson, the Reverend Penrod and Carolyn Edgar Clower, Al Jones, Don Lane, David Redfearn (my uncle) and Barney Abernathy. Barney was single when he first rented the upstairs. Later, he rented the entire house, and while living here, he married Linda Brigman and gained two adopted children and several foster children. He lived in the house 22 years, longer than I lived in it.
I realize now what a great influence Mother had on the lives of these people, but they were truly a blessing to her, too. They were great company for her, and she tried to treat them all as family.
Today some walls have been removed and others added, original floors sanded, colors changed, cabinets added, and a carport added. I am eager for the renovation that began in July of 2003 to be finished so that I can follow in Mother’s footsteps of hosting neighbors and making new friends.
Elizabeth Ann Gaddy Rivers: In 2007, Ray and Sara Phillips Lear have completed the renovation of her family home and are operating a Bed-and-Breakfast here. I remember this house as the one where I got serious instruction in playing the game of bridge. M. A. Kay, the principal of Chesterfield High, lived at Sara Belle's. On many summer nights when I was college age, several of us gathered in the living room here–Hazel Ellis, Tommy and Mary Lou Hancock, Plume and I, Thomas Rayfield, and Charlena Chewning–and played bridge with Mr. Kay and Helen Hursey Turner, both of them were excellent players. They had no mercy; they preached the rules but gave us a great foundation for playing the game.
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