In early 1900s Mr. James Branch Cabell,

a writer and author, bought the estate.

And from his cabin on the bank,

he enjoyed the tranquility -

the peace and quiet of the Mill Pond

as he wrote.

Richmond author, James Branch Cabell, is best known for his controversial "Jurgen" (1919), one of several ironic fantasies he wrote that took place in Cabell's mythical medieval world of Poictesme (Pwa-tem). "Jurgen" brought the reclusive writer national fame. Throughout the 1920s, Cabell was highly regarded by his literary peers -- H.L. Mencken, Sinclair Lewis, and others praised his works. His medieval romanticism and fantasy were in fact thinly disguised commentary on the manners of those times.

The Ducks of Staples Mill Pond

"The clock is always fixed at 9 o'clock,
and it is summer and the days are long."

Staples Mill Pond....

which had no boundaries

in time and space,

where lurked musical and strange

names and mythical and forgotten people,

and which was itself only a name

lost in time.....