John June Lewis, Sr.
Photo credit: John June (Duckie) Lewis, Jr.
There is an old house, still standing at 1516 Ivy Hill Road. Referred to as "the little house", it was a Burwell family tenant house, associated with the remarkable and little known, Woburn Winery, operated between the 1940s and 1970s in the Ivy Hill area of Mecklenburg County, Virginia on what had been Burwell family land.
In 1894, Armistead Burwell, former slave owner and confederate veteran, had a son, John June Lewis, Sr. (1894-1974). Lewis is listed on the 1910 United States Federal Census as a 17 year old mulatto servant with the occupation of farm laborer, who lived in the household of Armistead Burwell, then age 70. Lewis is also listed on his U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card as employed by A. Burwell in the occupation of farming and manufacturing lumber for contract. A veteran of World War I, Lewis gained a heightened appreciation for viticulture and viniculture in 1919 while serving in the American Army of Occupation in the Rhine Valley of Europe. Upon his return home, he worked in the lumber business and is listed on the 1920 U.S. Federal Census as a "hired man", affiliated with the occupation of "sawmill" in the household of Armistead Burwell, age 79. Lewis' son, John June "Duckie" Lewis, Jr. (1930-2022), indicated that his father was born in "the big house" and first learned wine making as a child from Confederate veteran Armistead Burwell, whom the younger Lewis refers to as his paternal grandfather. He refers to his paternal grandmother as Anna Lewis, later known as Anna Lewis Dodson (1873-1939), who is listed in both the 1890 and 1900 Census as a black female, in the household of her mother Winnie also known as Winney Lewis (1835-1937) with the addition of Anna's occupation as "farmer" plus the listing of her son John as a black male in the latter. Several public family trees on Ancestry.com support this lineage, linking intimately the Burwell and Lewis families.
Eventually, Lewis was deeded land (193 acres) previously owned by Armistead Burwell and in 1933, began growing 10 acres of wine grapes, on the heels of Prohibition's repeal. Lewis built and opened his winery in 1940 with a storage capacity of 5,000 gallons and produced Labrusca and hybrid wines. To construct the winery building, Lewis cut the lumber from trees on the farm and hauled rock in a two‐horse wagon. Known as the "Virginia-Carolina Brand", Lewis' products were listed as table and dessert wines in the Wines & Vines Annual Directory, Issue 1960. Wine writer Leon Adams attested that Lewis' wines were "sound" and that he carefully used yeast cultures from California.
Woburn is thought to have been the only Virginia winery by the early 1970s to manufacture wine solely from its own grapes, and the only winery to be owned by an African American in the country.
In 1972, the farm contained 190 acres with 7.9 of them dedicated to grape growing. Upon his death in 1974, Lewis’ winery had been a success for over 30 years, selling primarily to neighbors and friends, and he was known to have been the first African American winery owner in Virginia. Upon his passing, John June Lewis, Sr.’s son, John June “Duckie” Lewis, Jr. took over the winery but ran into financial trouble and ceased operations shortly thereafter. Lewis, Jr. sold the remainder of the winemaking equipment with storage capacity of 5,000 gallons in 2008, and lived with his son, John June Lewis III, and wife, Ayana, until he passed away in 2022.
In 1894, Armistead Burwell, former slave owner and confederate veteran, had a son, John June Lewis, Sr. (1894-1974). Lewis is listed on the 1910 United States Federal Census as a 17 year old mulatto servant with the occupation of farm laborer, who lived in the household of Armistead Burwell, then age 70. Lewis is also listed on his U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card as employed by A. Burwell in the occupation of farming and manufacturing lumber for contract. A veteran of World War I, Lewis gained a heightened appreciation for viticulture and viniculture in 1919 while serving in the American Army of Occupation in the Rhine Valley of Europe. Upon his return home, he worked in the lumber business and is listed on the 1920 U.S. Federal Census as a "hired man", affiliated with the occupation of "sawmill" in the household of Armistead Burwell, age 79. Lewis' son, John June "Duckie" Lewis, Jr. (1930-2022), indicated that his father was born in "the big house" and first learned wine making as a child from Confederate veteran Armistead Burwell, whom the younger Lewis refers to as his paternal grandfather. He refers to his paternal grandmother as Anna Lewis, later known as Anna Lewis Dodson (1873-1939), who is listed in both the 1890 and 1900 Census as a black female, in the household of her mother Winnie also known as Winney Lewis (1835-1937) with the addition of Anna's occupation as "farmer" plus the listing of her son John as a black male in the latter. Several public family trees on Ancestry.com support this lineage, linking intimately the Burwell and Lewis families.
Eventually, Lewis was deeded land (193 acres) previously owned by Armistead Burwell and in 1933, began growing 10 acres of wine grapes, on the heels of Prohibition's repeal. Lewis built and opened his winery in 1940 with a storage capacity of 5,000 gallons and produced Labrusca and hybrid wines. To construct the winery building, Lewis cut the lumber from trees on the farm and hauled rock in a two‐horse wagon. Known as the "Virginia-Carolina Brand", Lewis' products were listed as table and dessert wines in the Wines & Vines Annual Directory, Issue 1960. Wine writer Leon Adams attested that Lewis' wines were "sound" and that he carefully used yeast cultures from California.
Woburn is thought to have been the only Virginia winery by the early 1970s to manufacture wine solely from its own grapes, and the only winery to be owned by an African American in the country.
In 1972, the farm contained 190 acres with 7.9 of them dedicated to grape growing. Upon his death in 1974, Lewis’ winery had been a success for over 30 years, selling primarily to neighbors and friends, and he was known to have been the first African American winery owner in Virginia. Upon his passing, John June Lewis, Sr.’s son, John June “Duckie” Lewis, Jr. took over the winery but ran into financial trouble and ceased operations shortly thereafter. Lewis, Jr. sold the remainder of the winemaking equipment with storage capacity of 5,000 gallons in 2008, and lived with his son, John June Lewis III, and wife, Ayana, until he passed away in 2022.