The Story of Weldan Pond
The Homeplace, built in 1890, as it appears in 2020.
Weldan Pond was a dream of the Wells family. When Thomas "Budd" and Effie Wells discovered it in 1920, it became home, an idyllic farm in rural Dinwiddie County where they and their extended family could grow and prosper. And their new home had what they needed - land to work and a house ready for a growing family.
Eventually, the farm house, built in 1890, housed Thomas and Effie Wells, their six children (Mary, Mildred, Becky, Virginia, Ethel, and John - all born in the house), and three of Thomas' siblings, Ela, O.C., and Horace (Beeba), It was a crowded place but it was also a place where the extended family could work, farm, and take care of one another. A Homeplace in every sense of the word.
Eventually, the farm house, built in 1890, housed Thomas and Effie Wells, their six children (Mary, Mildred, Becky, Virginia, Ethel, and John - all born in the house), and three of Thomas' siblings, Ela, O.C., and Horace (Beeba), It was a crowded place but it was also a place where the extended family could work, farm, and take care of one another. A Homeplace in every sense of the word.
 A young Ethel Wells in front of her Homeplace.
Weldan Pond was also a dream of Thomas and Effie’s daughter, Ethel, and her husband, William Byrd Daniel. Ethel grew up here, moving away when she married William in 1951 and began raising their own family. She and her young family returned in 1979, moving into a house trailer there as they renovated the house. They also started The first of a series of businesses here on the Wells farm. They called their first business, a day camp for kids, Scott’s Retreat. Eventually that day camp grew and became an overnight camp for local children. A few years later, the 1922 barn and several acres of now grassy fields became an events venue for corporate, church, and family groups. This was later augmented by a large screened picnic pavillion.
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William Daniel soon left for Korea after he and Ethel Wells wed.
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Ethel Wells at about 16
Then in 1985, the family converted the old barn to a full service restaurant owned and operated by Ethel Wells Daniel and her husband William. The demands of a restaurant soon overwhelmed the time needed for multiple businesses and soon the Homeplace Restaurant became the family focus. Nearly everyone in Dinwiddie as well as hundreds of travelers on I-85 discovered and loved the Homeplace. It could have been Ethel’s rolls and pies made from scratch every morning. OR it might have been William’s friendly ‘never met a stranger’ approach to the many people coming to the Homeplace. Perhaps it was the sheer beauty of the setting. But all three kept people coming in to eat with the Daniels for over 20 years. Sadly, age and the realities of running a 24/7 type business became too much. In spite of the extraordinary help of their son, Tom Daniel who ran the business for several years when Mrs. Daniel no longer could, the Homeplace Restaurant finally closed.
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But the story continues today because Weldan Pond also became the unexpected dream of its current owners, Jack and Beverly Lawson. Beverly is the daughter of William and Ethel (Wells) Daniel and granddaughter of the Wells family who bought the property a hundred years ago. We bought the property from the family estate after seeing a coffee table book featuring pictures of old Virginia homes in the process of falling apart from neglect. We knew instantly that we couldn’t let that happen to this old family homeplace. Jack had fallen in love with it when he first visited after meeting Beverly in November of 1979. I fell in love with her about the same time and we took on this project in late 2017. We named the place Weldan Pond in honor of her parents, Ethel Wells and William (Bill) Daniel). After a lot of elbow grease and scores of new skills learned, the house is in fine order. And now after 40 years of marriage, the old family homeplace is our home. |
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 Daniel Pond in early Spring
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Wells Pond through the Dogwoods
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