The quaintness, tradition and charm of bygone eras are apparent along Old Town Warrenton streets lined with historic houses and brick sidewalks. Townsfolk gather on the steps of the post office or at a coffee shop to pass the time of day, perhaps pausing to listen as the old courthouse clock strikes the hour.

Culpeper Street and Culpeper Street extended (the Springs Road) contains many houses and estates which date to the mid-nineteenth century.

Some notable examples are the Marr House, the Ullman House, Neptune Lodge, and Menlough.

The building is a series of jails used continuously from the 18th to the mid 20th centuries.

There are colorful and informative exhibits at the Jail Museum depicting the history of Warrenton and Fauquier County.

Warrenton Cemetery is an excellent example of the "Victorian park" cemetery. The grounds are not spooky or macabre, but rather you feel as if you are walking in a park. Its center is the Confederate Memorial which marks the mass grave of several casualties of Manassas battles.

Until recently the names of the buried were unknown, but through research they are now identified and listed on a new wall which surrounds the grave. Lovely trees and elegant memorials mark the graves, especially in the west end of the cemetery.

Our December 27, 2007 visit resulted in a fine luncheon dining experience at "Claire's at the Depot", 65 South Third Street in downtown.

The building housing Claire's resides on the site of a train station originally constructed in 1852 (the original wood structure was rebuilt in brick in 1908). Read more of the background of this historic building on Claire's web site.

Since purchasing the building in 1994, owner and executive chef Claire Lamborne has created a warm and friendly restaurant with some of the best food we have ever consumed, accompanied by excellent service. Our server for that day was Nicole - a delight.

The butternut squash ravioli was simply unbelievable - the taste was a superb blend of cheese, sauce and vegetables and entirely new to both of us (Tom's choice, but I stole a sample). I love oysters and was not disappointed in their entree.

My palate hasn't been this happy for a long time. The side french fries were startlingly unique, fresh and crispy - YUM. We ended our lunch with a hearty coffee (which we both loved) and Claire's key lime cheesecake which topped off a perfect meal.

"One of my favorite discoveries is Brian Noyes, the owner of the Red Truck Bakery in Virginia, who has a deft hand with pastries and an unerring sense of flavor balance." --MARIAN BURROS
- The New York Times

"The Red Truck Bakery is the love child of Smithsonian magazine art director Brian Noyes, an accomplished baker who has studied at New York’s Culinary Institute of America and L’Academie de Cuisine in Washington, D.C. Each weekend Noyes offers up a selection of goodies made in the humble kitchen of his Orlean farmhouse."
- Flavor Magazine

On our August 25, 2009, foray to Warrenton (for the express purpose of visiting Red Truck), we arrived around noon and walked into one of the most inviting bakeries in our memories. We should say, we love bakeries - for all the great reasons everyone loves bakeries - the fragrance of baked goods and the promise of things sweet and good.

WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED!!!. You just have to smile when you walk into Red Truck. The place is so clean and inviting - the fragrance we expected was so very, very pleasant and we were greeted with broad and sincere grins from the very attractive staff. What a great start. We looked around and began our culinary adventure.

Our purchases were designed to get a "flavor" of their offerings and included: (1) a loaf of Harvest Wheat Bread with Fruit; (2) Foccacia; (3) their signature "Alma Hackney’s Rum Cake" and (4) a jar of their Sour Cherry Jam (with a hint of almond).

Within a couple of hours of returning to Arlington, we just had to try the Rum Cake, and we did. Never have we been so surprised and delighted with a new taste - the cake was simply perfect - not too sugary and just tart enough to keep us interested. This is a winner, no doubt.

The next morning, we had toasted Harvest Wheat Bread with the Sour Cherry Jam for breakfast. Again, it was definitely yummy, yummy time. We love wheat bread and this tops our list. The jam helped start our day with a lift. The foccacia came later in the same day with the same result - done right with panache.

We can't recommend strongly enough that visitors to this site make whatever effort required to get to Warrenton and the Red Truck. We guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

Tell Brian that Ron and Tom said "hey."

Where can you go in Warrenton to find original Civil War art by nationally known artists, superb framing, and great service?

The answer is simple. Take the time to visit "Framecraft Fine Frames, Fine Arts" on Main Street.

Mark and Meleana Moore became the new owners of Framecraft in Old Town Warrenton in January of 2008. Having previously owned an auto repair shop, Framecraft was a new and exciting endeavor for the Moores.

Still others refer to the conflict as "The Southern Rebellion" - reference a two volume tome by that name written in 1862 (Volume I) and 1867 (Volume II) by W.A. Crafts. We have this two volume set along with a lot of other old, very old, books on all sorts of topics.

At any rate, while at the shop, we perused an autographed book by Mr. Künstler which includes images of his Gods and Generals series of paintings, a companion book to the major movie of the same name, starring Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang and Robert Duval (who, incidentally, currently lives in Fauquier County, specifically in The Plains) as Robert E. Lee. (Click Here for Gods and Generals Movie Photo Gallery)

The very next day, we purchased one of Künstler's works - a limited edition print (a beautifully framed, signed and numbered artist proof) of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, entitled "Divine Guidance" from the artist's Gods and General series (shown at right - image courtesy Mort Künstler).

In the image, General Jackson, at his headquarters near Fredericksburg, Virginia early on the morning of March 17, 1863, has just received the hard tidings regarding the death by scarlet fever of a little girl he had befriended.

Just the day before, the general’s headquarters had been relocated from a winter campsite he had occupied for several months at nearby Moss Neck Plantation. At the time, the owner of Moss Neck, Richard Corbin, was serving elsewhere in the Confederate cavalry. Left at home on the plantation was his wife, Roberta, and the couple’s five year-old daughter, Jane Wellford Corbin - who was known affectionately as "Janie."

We had stopped by the shop shortly before 10:00 to pick up our print and were handed a reservation number for our place in line - the number was 90. "90" we screamed (not really) - but we were a bit taken aback.

OK - the math would suggest that 89 stalwart collectors ahead of us, spending at least 2 to 3 minutes getting their print signed, with the concomitant discussion with the artist, would give us a wait time of more than three hours - as it turned out, three and one-half hours, to be precise.

The reason for the great interest in this event was that the artist was in town to sign a new release - a limited edition of "The Gray Ghost" (pictured at left - image courtesy Mort Künstler). This print portrays the visit to Warrenton in January 1862 of Lieutenant-Colonel John Singleton Mosby (CSA), nicknamed "The Gray Ghost" as he and his troops appeared to vanish whenever they ventured into harm's way.

The wait was worthwhile - especially since we were able to leave the line, with the number "90" in hand, have a great lunch at the Black Bear Bistro (see review above), return to the line and reclaim our place behind number 89. One of the reasons it took longer that it appeared it should have is that folks (like us) were leaving the line and returning later, giving the impression that the line was shorter than in reality.

The collectors who showed up for this event, as we were able to ascertain by eavesdropping in line, were either rabid Civil War aficionados, collectors of local subject art, or art investors hoping to cash in on valuable art soon to appear on eBay (selling higher than the purchase price, of course).

How appropriate it was to stand below portraits of figures such as Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall (Fauquier native), Francis Fauquier, Governor of Virginia when Fauquier County was founded in 1759, and Governor William "Extra Billy" Smith, and see premier American History artist Mort Künstler signing prints portraying a significant historical event.

Mr. Künstler was so very gracious with his time and knowledge in responding to questions and sharing experiences, both his and those of the collected patrons who so admiringly spoke with him.

Warrenton is, as you know or should know, is in the middle of horse country in Northern Virginia. Everything horsey, including races, hunts, dogs galore and pure class exists in abundance in Fauquier and Loudoun counties.

Our definition of "class", incidentally, includes the incredibly beautiful countryside, the historical buildings and context, and most importantly the people we meet.

When we first visited Horse Country at 60 Alexandria Pike one block below the County Courthouse, we were stunned by the ambiance which exuded the smell of leather, displayed horsyness (I think that is a word) in every direction, and represented in every sense of the word "class."

We had been here before and purchased books among other items, including an exceptionally "funky" hat for a dear friend of ours who makes her home in New York City. She taught with Tom in Prince William County. She loved the hat.

This establishment is so much more, however, than just saddles. There are great books, incredible mens and womens clothing, fine gifts, horse supplies and much, much more.

This time, we found a new book on dogs (we love books on dogs, even though we have only a single cat). This was the latest book by William Secord entitled "Dog Painting: A history of the dog in art" and is the fourth in his series of books of dogs in art. We have all four.

For more information on Secord, check out our Middleburg site.

Marion knows Turner, and those in the know who don't wish they did, and we had met him at the most recent Washington Antique Show in DC.

For those who do not recognize the Reuter name, he is Curator of Fine Arts for the National Sporting Library and Editor at Large for The Magazine Antiques. His latest book is Animal and Sporting Artists in America.

We had purchased the book at the Antique Show and Mr. Reuter was kind enough to autograph it and discuss at length with us views on animal art. We were impressed.

But, moving on. While we were checking out, the topic of credit cards versus debit cards came up and Jean Roberts told us a remarkable story about her experience with American Express.

In the 1970s, Jean applied for an American Express card and was told explicitely that the company did not issue cards to single women. Well, that was the wrong thing to say to Jean.

She began a process of objecting to such a patently discriminatory practice and secured the assistance of a Member of Congress for whom she worked.

So we were able to hear an even greater story than the one involving the Prince of Wales. Now, how many times can you say that!!!

Needless to say, it is meeting with individuals like Marion and Jean that strengthen our faith in the basic goodness of our fellow humans.

They made what is sometimes a rather humdrum experience in other commercial establishments a memorable and enjoyable visit with folks who took the time and effort to make us feel welcome.

On a very cloudy Tuesday in late September, 2009, we ventured back to Warrenton, primarily for the purpose of restocking our pantry with goodies from the Red Truck.

Around 1:00 PM, we decided to stay longer and enjoy lunch. Since we hadn't yet tried a local establishment specializing in sandwiches, we agreed to venture into the Black Bear Bistro.

The building housing the Black Bear was previously inhabited by a succession of restaurants where we had mixed reactions - not especially favorable.

According to their web site, "The Black Bear Bistro is a casual, friendly "pub" featuring Virginia beers on tap, local wines and a menu that offers everyday selections from Homemade Soups and Fresh Salads, to Appetizers, Sandwiches and Entrees while utilizing as much fresh, seasonal and local ingredients as possible."

In addition to the Bistro, and part of the Black Bear operation, is Sweeney's Cellar, the "distinguished dining" restaurant located one floor below street level. The Eisenhauers explain that Sweeney's harkens back to the Speakeasy Days during Prohibition.

Our greeting was friendly and we were seated immediately in a nearly full room. Our server appeared right away and set the stage for nearly perfect service from an attentive wait staff.

We ordered cauliflower and goat cheese soup (Tom) and vegetable soup (Ron), a pulled Smoked Pork BBQ, house smoked, tossed in honey BBQ Sauce and served with Peach Chutney (Ron) and a sausage hoagie, locally made smoked sausage with sautéed sweet onions and local jalapeno derby cheese (Tom), and ended with banana cream pie with chocolate and coffee.