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James River plantations

 
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James River plantations were established in the Virginia Colony along the James River between the mouth at Hampton Roads and the head of navigation at the fall line where Richmond is today.

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History

The colony struggled for five years after its establishment at Jamestown in 1607. Finally, a profitable export crop was identified through the efforts of colonist John Rolfe. After 1612, a sweet form of tobacco became the largest export crop, customarily shipped in large hogsheads.

Because the river was a highway of commerce in the 17th and 18th centuries, the early plantations were established on the north and south banks along it, with most having their own wharfs. A site of 100 acres (0.40 km2) was a common unit of size, which may explain why many early plantations included the word "hundred" in their names. However, most were much larger than 100 acres (0.40 km2). A more likely explanation is the name derived from the English tradition of subdividing shires (counties) into "Hundreds".

While most are now long gone, some of the larger and older of the James River plantations are still in use and/or open to the public. Almost all are non-government-owned, and houses and/or grounds are generally open daily to visitors with various admission fees applicable.

Partial listing of Plantations in early 17th century

Based upon the makeup of the House of Burgesses, a partial list of early plantations and their representatives were:

  • for James City: Ensign William Spense and Captain William Powell
  • for Charles City: Samuel Sharpe and Samuel Jordan
  • for the City of Henricus: Thomas Dowse and John Plentine
  • for Kiccowtan: Captain William Tucker and William Capp
  • for Martin's Brandon, Captain John Martin's Plantation: Thomas Davis and Robert Stacy
  • for Smythe's Hundred Plantation: Captain Thomas Graves and Walter Shelley
  • for Martin's Hundred Plantation (also known as Wolstenholme Towne): John Boys and John Jackson
  • for Argall's Gift Plantation: Thomas Pawlett and Edward Gourgainy
  • for Flowerdew Hundred Plantation: Ensign Edmund Rossingham and John Jefferson
  • for Captain Lawne's Plantation: Captain Christophor Lawne and Ensign Washer
  • for Captain Warde's Plantation: Captain John Warde and Lieutenant John Gibbes

Plantations north side of James River

Listed from east to west, some of the plantations on the north side of the James River were:

In Hampton, Virginia formerly Elizabeth City County, Virginia The Herbert House, an 18th century, two story, brick plantation house built by a sea captain stands on the point of land where the Hampton River flows into the James, and is the oldest house still standing in the City of Hampton. Abandoned and neglected for many years the house was nearing collapse when it was recently donated to the city and restored as a museum.

In western Newport News (formerly Warwick County), the former sites of Richneck Plantation and Denbigh Plantation are located. Further west, on Mullberry Island the Matthew Jones House a small 17th century brick plantation still stands overlooking the James River on the Fort Eustis Military Reservation. A few miles away,Endview Plantation has been restored and is located near Lee Hall where the Lee Hall Mansion, a large 19th century Italianate plantation house stands just north of U.S. Highway 60. Now a Museum, Lee Hall Mansion is the last remaining large antebellum mansion still standing on the lower Virginia Penninsula and served as headguartes for Confederate Major General John B. Magruder during the Penninsula Campaign.

In James City County east of Williamsburg, Carter's Grove Plantation is on the former site of Martin's Hundred Plantation and Wolstenholme Towne. It closed to visitors in 2003.

The former site of Green Spring Plantation near Jamestown is currently under archaeological study. Historically the home of Virginia's Royal Governor William Berkeley and other famous Virginians until the American Civil War, the site is now owned by the National Park Service. There are plans underway to open it to visitors by 2008 as part of the Colonial National Historical Park.

In Charles City County to the west across the Chickahominy River, the plantations on the north side of the James River are generally accessed from State Route 5 and the largely parallel Virginia Capital Trail (for bicycles, pedestrians and non-motorized traffic).

  • Sherwood Forest Plantation is the home of President John Tyler, the first Vice President to ascend to the presidency. Tyler was twice Governor of Virginia, a U.S. Senator, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a Virginia state senator and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. A graduate of The College of William and Mary, he later became Chancellor of that institution. As a supporter of state's rights, he re-entered public service in 1861 as an elected member of the Confederate Congress. He died in 1862. The house and its 1600 acres (6.5 km²) have been continuously owned by his direct descendants. In the mid-1970s, the residence was restored by President Tyler's grandson and his wife, the current owners.
The House, circa 1730, is "Virginia Tidewater" in architectural design, and is the longest frame dwelling in America. It was expanded to its present length, 300 feet (90 m), by President Tyler in 1845, when he added the 68 foot (21 m) ballroom designed for dancing the Virginia Reel. Sherwood Forest is a National Historic Landmark, Virginia Historic Landmark, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sherwood Forest it is open to the public seven days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Kittewan Plantation Overlooking Kittiewan Creek and the James River, Kittiewan Plantation is a typical Colonial-period medium-size wood-frame plantation house characteristic of the Virginia Tidewater. Built in the 18th Century, the first known owner of the house was Dr.William Rickman. In 1776 Rickman was appointed by the Continental Congress to oversee the Virginia hospitals during the American Revolution. During the early 20th century the magnificent paneled interior was identified as a potential acquisition for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts' American Wing, although the owners did not entertain the thought of removing this significant feature of the house. Stewardship of the house and surrounding 720 acres is administered by the Archeological Society of Virginia. The house and grounds are open to the public by appointment.
  • North Bend Plantation was built in 1819 by John Minge. In 1853 the home was doubled in size by Thomas Willcox. Architectural detailing from the expansion included Greek Revival detailing reminiscent of the designs of builder/architect Asher Benjamin. In 1864, during the American Civil War, North Bend served as the headquarters of Major General Phillip Sheridan as 30,000 Union troops prepared to cross the James River on a pontoon bridge. The home has been in Copland family since 1916. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The grounds are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily and guided tours of the house are available daily by appointment.
  • Weyanoke
  • Upper Weyanoke The plantation site was settled by English colonists during the 17th century and has been continuously occupied ever since, as indicated by archeological investigations. During the 18th century and early 19th century the locally prominent Minge family owned the property, as well as others on the Weyanoke peninsula, such as North Bend. The one-and-a-half-story, early 19th-century brick cottage was probably built by John Minge as a two-room dependency to a now vanished main dwelling. The grounds of Upper Weyanoke also include a Greek Revival style residence built for Robert Douthat in 1859. The commodious two-story brick home has a side-hall plan typically utilized in urban homes, rather than rural plantation houses.
  • Belle Air Plantation is a unique surviving example of a wooden house with postmedieval-type exposed interior framing, and is probably the oldest plantation dwelling along State Route 5. The original five-bay portion of Belle Air possesses architectural details characteristic of seventeenth century construction with a floor plan and façade fenestration characteristic of 18th-century design. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house is open for guided tours during Historic Garden Week and by appointment.
  • Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation was established in the eighteenth century as a seat of the Southall family. During the late eighteenth century the 300-acre (1.2 km2) plantation was owned by Furneau Southall. The original log portion of Piney Grove was built before 1790 as a corn crib, later converted and enlarged into a general merchandise, and in 1905 enlarged and transformed into a residence. The home survives as a rare and well-preserved example of Early Virginia Log Architecture. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The grounds are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily and guided tours of the house are available daily by appointment.
  • Greenway Plantation is a wood-frame, one-and-a-half-story plantation house that stands just north of Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Located just west of the Charles City Courthouse, it is one of Charles City's earliest and most distinctive Colonial plantations and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Greenway was built circa 1776 by Judge John Tyler, Sr., the father of president John Tyler. Future President Tyler was born here in 1790. When Judge Tyler died in 1813, John Tyler at the age of 23 inhereted Greenway and lived there until age 39 (1829), when he sold the plantation and moved to nearby Sherwood Forest Plantation. The plantation is privately owned and maintained. The structures have remained well-preserved over the years with little alteration.
  • Evelynton Plantation was originally part of William Byrd's expansive Westover Plantation. Named for Byrd's daughter, Evelyn, this site has been home to the Ruffin family since 1847. The 2,500 acre (10 km²) farm is still family owned and operated. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house, lush grounds and gardens are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
  • Westover Plantation was built circa 1730 by William Byrd II, the founder of Richmond. It is noteworthy for its secret passages, magnificent gardens, and architectural details. The grounds and garden are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, but the house is not open to the public.
  • Shirley Plantation, settled in 1613, is the oldest plantation in Virginia and the oldest family-owned business in North America, dating back to 1638. Occupied by the Hill family and their descendant's since 1738, the mother of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Anne Hill Carter, was born at Shirley and in 1793, married Light Horse Harry Lee in the mansion's parlor. Shirley Plantation has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It is normally open for tours 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
  • Upper Shirley The gracious late 19th-century dwelling at Upper Shirley with its beautiful site overlooking the James River has been the seat of several leading families of the Commonwealth. Built by Hill Carter for his son William Fitzhugh Carter during Reconstruction, a period in which few Virginians could afford to erect substantial residences, the original portion of the dwelling was constructed, using bricks salvaged from a large 18th-century building that once formed part of the architectural complex at nearby Shirley Plantation, the seat of the James River branch of the Carter family. The estate is privately owned and is not open to the public.

In Henrico County, some of the former plantations are still working farms, notably including Malvern Hill, Curles Neck Plantation, home of Nathaniel Bacon, the leader of 1676's Bacon's Rebellion, and Varina Farms, home of John Rolfe and Pocahontas between 1614 and 1616, and Tree Hill, just below the falls of the James near the city limits of Richmond. (None open to public).

Built circa 1753 for William Randolph III, Wilton was once the centerpiece of a 2,000 acre tobacco plantation in Henrico, and home to the Randolph family for more than a century. It was here that they entertained George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Due to the industrialization of the surrounding area, Wilton was purchased and carefully moved to its current site on a bluff overlooking the James in Richmond, a few miles west of its original location by the Virginia Society of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in 1933.

Plantations south side of James River

Most of the extant plantations south of the James River are accessed by State Route 10, which runs between Suffolk and Richmond via Smithfield, Surry, and Hopewell.

The south side plantations, from east to west, include:

External links


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