Willow Shade was the childhood home of the celebrated writer Willa Cather. The home and property are private, but the Route 50 pull off for Willow Shade — 2 miles west of Hayfield — provides views of Back Creek Valley and Great North Mountain. This is the setting for Cather’s last novel, Sapphira and the Slave Girl.
Please remain on the road shoulder and stay off of the Willow Shade property and adjacent farm.
(Willow Shade photograph from Willa Cather Institute at Shenandoah University www.su.edu)