Artist William Sergeant Kendall (1869-1938) and his wife Christine Herter Kendall (1890-1981) built this house soon after they arrived in Virginia in 1922. Garth Newel, Welsh for “New Home,” served as their residence and studio. A student of Thomas C. Eakins, Sergeant Kendall was known for his society portraits and paintings of children. A noted artist herself, Christine Kendall became a patron of the arts in the region, co-founding the Bath County Regional Art Show in 1964. She later helped co-found the Garth Newel Music Center in 1973, thereby ensuring the continuity of the house as a space for art and music.