Summer Villa is a house. Actually, that does not give it justice. Summer Villa is a home, a place of peace, a place of family, loved so much it has a name. Located near Lillington, NC, Summer Villa has been in the Ross family since it was built a score before the Civil War.
It is rare these days that one family maintains such roots. But as I sat beside the pond during the 4th of July family reunion in 2000, I watched yet another generation of the Ross children enjoy splashing in the same pond enjoyed by generation after generation of the family before them.
Some older homes have been maticulously restored to the point of sterility. Others have withered with time. But Summer Villa is a home - not a house, but a true home. While it is in good repair, it has a strong personality of a dwelling that is "lived in" and loved by its family.
Picture after picture of former generations of the Ross family adorn the proud walls beside recent pictures of newborns, children and family. Volume after volume of guestbooks dating back over 100 years are on display in the parlor and a new guestbook sits in the hallway, already half-filled with the names of recent visitors.
Ross Sermons of Nashville, Tennessee, remembers Summer Villa very well. This was his grandparents home when he was young. He always wanted to record a tribute to the home and to the family. But as time passed by, he realized it had to be done or he would never do it. So with the help of a group of friends and the acoustic magnificence of the 12 foot ceilings of Summer Villa, the recording finally began. I was lucky enough to be there as an observer.
The CD begins with "Home in the Heart", and sums up the entire emotional journey of the project. "There's a home in the heart of North Carolina where my memories run deep as the river that winds...". The CD is a collection of songs that remind Ross of this beloved home, songs from his own memories and songs that remind him of stories told by his grandparents of when they were children.
The entire CD was recorded in the parlor of the home without benefit of modern recording techniques like being able to record each instrument on a separate track. With everyone in the same room, if one person made an error, everyone had to start over. But there were few errors made. The CD is an exceptional recording.
The is, indeed, a Home in the Heart of North Carolina. I invite you to take a journey to Summer Villa through song and experience a rare insite into the love one family has for this home and for each other.