The Ware River Circle of The King’s Daughters and Sons, with the help of the Chesapeake Bay, North River and York River circles, will celebrate its 29th annual Christmas Open House at White Hall on Dec. 11.

Proceeds will benefit the construction of the new mental health wing of the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk. The Commonwealth of Virginia has given its stamp of approval for the building of this facility, so let’s do our part.

White Hall’s history began when King William and Queen Mary gave the original land grant of 3,000 acres along the Ware River to Sir Francis Willis in 1690. Over several decades parcels of land were sold off and now the current owners have a little over 100 acres.

The original structure was a one-story brick house over an English basement. A large river porch with columns was added as suggested by Thomas Jefferson who was a classmate of young Francis Willis II at the College of William and Mary in Virginia...