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Viola Townsend Winmill 1891-1975
Viola Townsend Winmill 1891-1975
Seeing Stripes
Photos courtesy of Diane Hilton, great-grandaughter of Viola Winmill
By John T. Toler
From an early age, Viola Townsend was interested in the horses and carriages she saw near her family’s home on Madison Avenue in the Murray Hill District of New York City. Her parents, J. Allen and Viola Townsend, owned a donkey named George, who was boarded in a nearby stable. He was often seen out pulling a cart.
In October, 1909, Viola was presented to society at a tea given by her mother.
While riding sidesaddle in 1902, little Viola suffered severe head injuries when she was thrown from her horse and dragged. She remained unconscious for almost a month. When she came around, she was often confused. It took a full year for her to learn how to talk, read, write and count.
Later, Viola took part in many of the experiences enjoyed by girls in her social circle – a three-month tour of Europe, dances at her father’s clubs, and invitations to subscription dances in the finest hotels in New York. In October 1909, Viola was presented to society at a tea given by her mother. The debut was followed by a supper dance in her honor on Dec. 22, 1909, at the Colony Club.
The following summer Viola met Bobby Winmill at her parents’ house party. He was immediately attracted to Viola--her good looks, charm and enthusiasm for horses.
After a two-year courtship, they were engaged in October, 1912, and married on February 4, 1913. They soon purchased the c. 1740 Borradil Farm in Mill Neck, Long Island. They also started their family: first born was a daughter, Viola or “Little Olie” in November, 1913, followed by Allen Townsend in April, 1915, Virginia in July, 1916 and finally Josephine Spotswood in September, 1919.
The Winmills were active in the New York City and Long Island social and equestrian scene, and in 1924, their horse “Surf” won a major race at Belmont Park. Seeking a bit of respite from their full social life, they began spending more time at the Nordix Club north of Warrenton (now part of Warrenton Lakes). They also went out foxhunting with the local clubs.
A unique addition to their stable arrived at their home, Clovely, in 1930. “Nderu,” a young zebra from Kenya, arrived in Warrenton in August by way of England and New York.
“Nderu quickly trusted Viola and loved the garden parties the Winmills gave,” her daughter, Virginia Winmill Livingstone Armstrong, wrote in 1977. “Friendly with the guests, she shared their hors d’ouvers and drinks. In the middle of one party, some ‘clown’ got her upstairs, and poor Nderu didn’t go down the steep and narrow staircase until she was finally coaxed down with a shaker of Bobby’s delicious martinis.”
For the next five years, friends and strangers alike enjoyed the experience of seeing Viola drive a cart pulled by the zebra at equestrian events and other activities.
However, after Nderu reached full size and maturity, she began exhibiting more of her inbred wild ways, attacking other horses and biting unsuspecting visitors. Concerned that there might be a serious incident, in 1935 the Winmills donated Nderu to the zoo in Washington, D.C., where she lived out the rest of her life with others of her species.
