Checkmate Farm

About

Welcome to Checkmate Farm’s website!

We purchased the farm in 2002. We enjoy a fifty mile view as we take care of the livestock and land. We are blessed to live here. We are only custodians continuing the upkeep and care of this magical 100 year old property.

In the forties our farm was called “Twin Willows” by Mr. & Mrs. Wilson. They enjoyed the property as their weekend home to escape Washington DC’s hot and humid summers. They added on to the 1890’s house. During the fifties, a Colonel lived here. He was the civil engineer responsible for “Mount Weather”, the governmental agency property located on our mountain. In the sixties, the farm was named “Checkmate Farm” by Mr. & Mrs. Mike Verbonic. They owned dressage horses and taught riding lessons here. The Verbonics changed the name because this farm was to be their final move. Thus Checkmate!

When our first spring arrived, Kathy looked for flowering bushes, trees and spring flowers. She soon realized that the stone walls were the only things to look at in the garden! The backbones for new gardens existed. So she signed up for the Loudoun County Master Gardener Extension Program and used her new knowledge to create perennial gardens.

The farm already had a hay barn, stable with heated tack room and an indoor horse riding rink. Seven black board paddocks were built for the Verbonic’s horses. It was a shame that these old buildings were not being used. Then Loudoun County billed us for back taxes owned on the land because the farm land lost it’s “farm use” title. We quickly began researching what livestock we could raise to regain the “farm use” to reduce our property taxes.

We decided upon sheep! Our two college sons think we are nuts! After 5 years we now have regained “farm use” and we hope to continue as long as our health holds out!