Hamner family, “Waltons” fans gather to mark latest project: a replica of house made famous by TV show (2024)

FAQs

Did the Hamner family really own a mountain? ›

People have been asking for more than four decades if "the family is real" and "is there a 'real' Walton's Mountain?" The answer is yes. Though the names might be different Earl Hamner based the show on his memories of growing up in rural Virginia with his family during the depression.

Until the 1900s, the Hamners were tobacco farmers near James River, Virginia, when they moved to Schuyler, located on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The house will have a similar porch and first floor as the home portrayed in the popular '70s TV show, said Ray Castro, who co-owns the Waltons Hamner House with Carole Johnson, both long-time fans of the show.

Hamner, whose own family included two children, is survived by his wife, Jane; son, Scott; and daughter, Caroline.

In fact, they go down to its very roots. As the creator and writer of the show, he based the characters of the Walton family members, neighbors, tradespeople and the town itself on his own life and family growing up in Schuyler, Virginia during the Depression era.

You can purchase tickets for tours of the home at the Walton's Mountain Museum in Schuyler. Three longtime fans of the popular TV show "The Waltons" have purchased the Virginia childhood home of the show's creator in an effort to keep it open to the public.

Nancy and Garnett are both retired and enjoy their time travelling, planting flowers and working in their backyard garden. Earl Henry Hamner, Sr. died in 1969 before The Waltons were created. He was the inspiration for John Walton.

All of the Waltons were based on real people — Hamner's family, his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his brothers and sisters, of whom there were seven in the show but eight in real life.

With a combined net worth of US$247 billion, the Walton family is the wealthiest in the US. The company's founder, Sam Walton, was well-known for having built their massive fortune – but he's not the only member of the clan worth knowing about.

The Walton's made use of many period appropriate buildings, sets and locations. Being a domestic, family based drama much of the action was staged in and around the Walton family home. While the interiors were filmed on Stage 26 of the former Burbank studios, the house exterior was filmed on the jungle set.

What happened to the real Waltons house? ›

In November 1991, a fire on the Warner Bros. lot (reportedly started by a disgruntled employee) destroyed the Waltons home.

The front of the Waltons Hamner House in Nelson County, Va. (Gayle Harvey Real Estate, Inc.) NELSON COUNTY, Va. (WSET) - A trio of fans bought the Nelson County home that was the inspiration for the show "The Waltons."

Earl Hamner Jr., creator of the hit CBS-TV series The Waltons, attended Richmond College during Boatwright's tenure, and named the fictional Boatwright University where the character of John-Boy Walton attended college after him.

He then finds a career in television where he serves as a news anchor. He meets Janet Gilchrist who is an editor for Harper's magazine. The two are married on Walton's Mountain.

Morgan Stevens, the TV star of such shows as The Waltons and Fame, has passed away. The world has lost another figurehead of television history. Morgan Stevens, best known for his role in The Waltons, passed away on January 26th, TMZ reports.

The love stories carried over behind the scenes. Ma and Pa Walton — Ralph Waite and Michael Learned — quietly fell on love on set. And remember Jason and Toni, who we just mentioned in the prior paragraph? Well, actors Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison tied the knot in real life in 1979!

The Walton family is still the major shareholder of Walmart Inc. The children of Walmart founder Sam Walton own about half of all Walmart shares, according to official company documents.

The original truck is housed in the Walmart Heritage Museum in Bentonville. The museum's director, Alan Dranow, called Walton's truck a “symbol of humility” and frugality. “It's not just a pickup. It's not just a truck.

How many bathrooms did The Waltons have? ›

“We've also had to make some modern conveniences — the Waltons only had one bathroom,” Johnson said, noting each room in the bed-and-breakfast will have a bathroom. In the Depression-era, wood was the exterior of the Hamner house and the home depicted on “The Waltons.”

The cast may be new, but the story remains the same. In fact, one very familiar face was invited back to Waltons Mountain to narrate it. Hamner Jr. passed in 2016, after leaving an indelible impression in pop culture, so producers had to find a replacement.

John and Olivia Walton live to see their four sons – John Boy, Jason, Ben, and Jim Bob – go off to war.

Godsey." Conley's wife Louise told the Los Angeles Times that the actor, who had dementia, passed away at a care facility in Newbury Park, Calif. Fellow co-stars were quick to remember the actor. Actress Ronnie Claire Edwards, who played Corabeth, posted about Conley on her Facebook page.

Mary Ellen marries Dr. Curtis Willard and they have 1 child, John Curtis, before he is lost and presumed dead after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Eventually she remarries Arlington Westcott Jones "Jonesy" and together they have 2 children, Clay and Katie.

D.H., Orlando. ANSWER: Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor) married Dr. Curtis Willard in the 1977 season, and they had a baby. Then Curt was killed at Pearl Harbor in the 1978 season, and Mary Ellen found new love with Arlington Wescott "Jonesy" Jones (Richard Gililand) while taking premed courses.

Waite passed away in 2014 at age 85. Learned previously admitted that their on-screen chemistry was the real deal. In 2019, it was reported that Learned and Waite “were in love” off-screen.

Which 10 Families Are the Wealthiest? The top 10 richest families in 2022 by estimated wealth are: The Walton family with $224.5 billion.

Who Owns The Other 50% Of Walmart? The other half of Walmart not owned by the Walton family is owned by investment companies, holding groups, and individual shareholders. The second largest shareholder of Walmart stock is the Vanguard Group, one of the largest investment companies in the world.

Did Erin get divorced on The Waltons? ›

During the end voice over , John boy states that Erin's marriage is as strong today as it was when they got married , but in A Walton Thanksgiving reunion , she is divorced and states that it was because she found out Paul was cheating on her .

Studios that destroyed the farmhouse used in the TV series The Waltons was set by an arsonist, according to Burbank, Calif., fire officials. Burn patterns indicated that a flammable substance was splashed around a chicken coop on the set and inside the house, an arson investigator said Wednesday.

The Hamner House is opened for docent tours or for guests to rent the whole house. This was the home of Earl Hamner who wrote the Walton TV series. A replica of John Walton's truck sits outside. Inside is the kitchen, living room, parents room, John Boy's room, the boys room, and the girls room.

Jim didn't see himself as a celebrity at all. He'd joined the Army as a young man, and then built a sensible career, spending 35 years as a systems analyst for the University of Virginia Hospital before he retired.

Will Geer died after filming had ended for the 1977-1978 season. His character, Grandpa Walton, died during the next season.

Measuring about 1,600 square feet, this white clapboard building has just one bathroom, and as many as four of the famous family's eight children would share one of the three bedrooms.

The museum has seven rooms containing memorabilia and replicas of sets from the television series. You can visit the Waltons' kitchen, living room, and John-Boy's bedroom. You'll see the radio the family used to cluster around, Mary Ellen's wedding dress, and even Judge Baldwin's whiskey still.

Now you can experience life just like 'America's favorite family' by staying in a Walton inspired, depression era Virginia home. All overnight guests are invited to join Carole Johnson, Owner/Proprietor, at the kitchen table each morning after breakfast for conversations all about the Waltons. No reservations required.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Marlowe was an actress best known for her role from 1973 to 1977 as boardinghouse owner/operator Flossie Brimmer in 27 episodes of the drama The Waltons.

1978 Michael Learned decided to quit her contract and leave the successful series "The Waltons". Her departure from the show was declared to the TV audience by tuberculosis disease of "Ma Walton" and her long stay in a sanatorium.

Why was Mrs Walton in a sanatorium? ›

Olivia is leaving Walton's Mountain, hustled off with tuberculosis to an Arizona sanatorium while her family somehow forges a path between unbearable grief and unbearable stoicism.

While filmed on location in California, the fictional Walton family would have been at home in the tiny town of about 300 residents 40 minutes southwest of Charlottesville, Va., in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In The Waltons episode "The Revelation," John-Boy proposes to his girlfriend Daisy, and when she said yes, it was a real moment on the show. But by the episode's end, Daisy has called off the wedding, and the next time we see her, Daisy is just an old flame to John-Boy, never to be rekindled.

February 13, 2014, Palm Desert, CA

Ralph Waite / Died

An eighth child, Jim-Bob's twin brother Joseph Zebulon Walton, died at birth.

The real life John-Boy, Earl Hamner Jr., who created 'The Waltons,' dies at age 92.

In the pilot episode The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, set during Christmas, 1933, Olivia remarks she and John had been married 17 years, which would put their marriage in 1916.

Although the fictional Waltons lived on Walton's Mountain, there is no corresponding Hamner peak, just a series of rising hills.

The main story is set in Walton's Mountain, a fictional mountain community in the fictitious Jefferson County, Virginia. The real place upon which the stories are based is the community of Schuyler in Nelson County, Virginia.

The series was based upon the book "Spencer's Mountain" by Earl Hamner Jr., who also narrated each show. While the television series took place on a fictional "Walton's Mountain," in Virginia, and the book on "Spencer's Mountain" in Wyoming, both are actually based on Hamner's hometown of Schuyler, VA.

Is Spencer's Mountain Based on a true story? ›

Based on the author's own family background and childhood experiences, and the basis for the classic motion picture featuring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara, Spencer's Mountain is a moving celebration of familial love and commitment in the face of overwhelming odds.

The original house that served as the backdrop to Hamner's childhood was built in the early 20th century in the village of Schuyler in Nelson County, where it still stands today.

The cast may be new, but the story remains the same. In fact, one very familiar face was invited back to Waltons Mountain to narrate it. Hamner Jr. passed in 2016, after leaving an indelible impression in pop culture, so producers had to find a replacement.

She remained a regular on The Waltons through the end of the 1978–79 season, with Esther Walton struggling with her stroke deficits as Corby was in real life. Although Corby was able to communicate after her stroke, her character's lines were usually limited to one word or one-phrased dialogue.

“Many of the places mentioned on the series actually do exist in Schuyler.” While filmed on location in California, the fictional Walton family would have been at home in the tiny town of about 300 residents 40 minutes southwest of Charlottesville, Va., in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Her character's abrupt disappearance was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis and entering a sanatorium in Arizona. She made occasional guest appearances until the show's cancelation and later appeared in four of the six Waltons reunion movies made during the 1980s and 1990s.

Henry Fonda plays Clay Spencer, one of nine children who have grown up on a mountain homesteaded by their father. His dream is to build a home on the mountain for his family, wife Olivia (Maureen O'Hara), and their nine children.

Spencer's Mountain was filmed primarily near Triangle X Ranch, not far from the Cunningham Cabin.

He sports a big mustache for the small role.

Earl Hamner Jr. made a cameo on The Waltons! Earl Hamner Jr. made a cameo on The Waltons!