Daisy Gives Tours of Sweet Briar House

Visitors to campus were given a tour that brought Sweet Briar House to life as Holy Cross Catholic School’s eighth grader Claire Wittman, told of its history while impersonating Daisy herself dressed in fashionable 19th-century clothing. With her hair tied back in a dainty peach bow, she walked from room to room as spectators, or better termed Daisy’s house guests, followed and listened to her stories of the founders of Sweet Briar.

She told of her grandparents, Elijah and Maria Antoinette Fletcher and of their near-fairytale love story. Elijah was a penniless man who left home to seek an education. After earning a college degree, he ended up in the sophisticated household of the Crawfords as a tutor to their girls. There he met Maria and also gained social stature. The Fletchers became an influential family in Lynchburg, bringing the railroad to the city and infusing the surrounding land with fine architecture and culture. Later, their daughter, Indiana, would establish Sweet Briar College in her will.

Daisy chatted with guests about the valued pieces of furniture in the rooms including a Japanese cabinet complete with cricket box brought back from the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876, where countries from around the world displayed the best examples of their arts and industry. Daisy spoke of her piano, of visiting her school friends, of collecting eggs from the chickens nesting in the boxwoods, and of her favorite pieces of fine china.

The dramatic oratory gave our Sweet Briar history a touch of life. Those familiar with the folk lore of Sweet Briar might have wondered if the real Daisy were looking on, watching from the staircase with glee.