JAMES RIVER PLANTATIONS
Lower
South Side
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless otherwise indicated. These interesting plantations are located along the southern banks of the James River from Hopewell to the historic area across from Jamestown Island. Guests are asked not to wear spike-heeled shoes, which may damage floorings. Tickets will be sold at the door on the days of the tours. No internet or combination Garden Week tickets are available for the James River Plantation tours. Advance reservations are not necessary.
BRANDON PLANTATION (Grounds only). Prince
George County. From the north: Take
the James River Plantation exit from 1-64, then Rt. 5 to the Benjamin Harrison
Bridge, Rt. 156 to Rt. 10. Proceed to Burrowsville on Rt. 10, turn
onto Morningstar Rd., which becomes Brandon Rd. and leads 6 miles into
the plantation. From the South: Take the Rt.
10 ext from 1-95 near Hopewell, proceed through Hopewell east to Burrowsville
and follow directions above.
Just around a bend on the James River from Jamestown, Brandon Plantation’s
history dates to the very beginning of English settlement in this country. In
2007, Jamestown and surrounding areas celebrate the 400th anniversary of the
founding of the first permanent English settlement in North America. Originally,
Brandon was part of a vast grant of land to John Martin, companion of Capt.
John Smith on his first voyage to America. In 1637, John Sadler, Richard
Quiney, merchants, and William Barber, mariner, bought Martin’s Brandon. They
and their heirs farmed it successfully until 1720 when it was sold to Nathaniel
Harrison. The property remained in possession of the Harrison family
until 1926 when it was sold by them to the late Robert Williams Daniel whose
family still resides there.
Visitors are invited to stroll Brandon’s beautiful grounds, leading
from the historic mansion and outbuildings to the James River. The grounds
feature magnificent old trees and boxwood, a series of “garden rooms,” and
glorious springtime color. Today, Brandon functions as a working farm, with
more than 4,500 acres, of which 1,600 are under cultivation. The principal
crops are corn, soybeans, wheat and barley. During Garden Week, self-guided
tours of the grounds will be offered on Monday through Saturday, April 21-26,
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $10. Grounds open year-round with honor box,
$8. Telephone (757) 866-8486. Brandon is a National Historic Landmark
and Historic Virginia Landmark.
MERCHANTS HOPE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. Prince
George County. Guided tours 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Friday and Saturday of Garden Week, April 25-26. The
church is located on Rt. 641, Merchants Hope Rd. ¼ mi. south of
Rt. 10, approximately 2 mi. east of the Benjamin Harrison Bridge crossing
of the James River. Merchants Hope is among the oldest Protestant
churches in America which is still used as a house of worship. It is also
registered as a Virginia and National Landmark. Erected around 1710-20,
the building is truly a gem of the earliest American architecture. The
walls are 22 1/2 inches thick, with a brick exterior of Flemish bond. The
interior walls and ceiling are of restored colonial-style oyster shell
plaster. Flagstones in the aisle are original, having been brought
over from Portland, England, as ballast. Of note are the “Tudor
kick” slope of the eaves and the handcrafted needlepoint kneelers
and sanctuary chairs.
The silver communion set was made in Charleston, South Carolina, and
dedicated on the 200th anniversary of the parish in 1857. Also on display
are several early Bibles. Following damage during the Civil War, recreation
of the furnishings was patterned after five Tidewater extant churches, with
expert documentation. The name of the parish is derived from one of the
ships which plied the waters regularly from England to the Colonies.
WESTON MANOR, Hopewell. Going east on Rt. 10,
immediately after the Appomattox River Bridge into Hopewell, turn right
on Riverside Loop Rd.; take a left on Riverside Ave. (which becomes
21st Ave.), then right on Weston Lane. Going west on Rt.
10, drive through Hopewell until taking a right onto Riverside Ave., then
follow directions above. Once described as “…the
very essence of Virginia’s Tidewater plantations” (Calder Loth,
Department of Virginia Historic Resources), Weston Manor is a unique wooden “middling” plantation
home on the banks of the lower Appomattox River. Built in 1789 by
William and Christian Eppes Gilliam, Weston is noted for retaining 85 percent
of its original moldings, wainscotings, floors, and stair and chair rails. The
neo-classical design features a 26-foot-long lower passageway with a distinctive
central arch accented by a paneled keystone. The spiral stairway
is highlighted by unusual concave paneling, and a dumb waiter is hidden
in the dining room cupboard. Visitors to Weston Manor learn about
the generations of families who resided there—the Gilliams, who managed
a successful example of the plantation economy and have family ties to
Pocahontas, Thomas Jefferson, and John Wayles Eppes; 12-year-old Emma Wood,
whose Civil War adventures include a dramatic river escape; and the Dolins,
who reported post-war ghosts who “ran rampant” in the manor.
Gardens feature old boxwood, spring-flowering shrubs, and a dye garden. Restored
by Historic Hopewell Foundation, Inc., Weston Manor is listed on the Virginia
and National Registers of Historic Places. Open April 1-Oct. 31, Mon.-Sat.,
10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sun. 1-4:30 p.m. Admission: adults $5, children 12
and under, free admission with an accompanying adult. Historic Hopewell
Foundation, Inc., 603 Brown Ave., Hopewell, VA 23860 (804) 458-4682. Fax: (804)
458-7900, www.historichopewell.org and historichopewell@verizon.net. Member,
Virginia Civil War Trails.
SMITH'S FORT PLANTATION, opposite Jamestown across the river on Rt. 31, between Surry Courthouse and the Scotland Ferry dock. This was the site of an original fort begun by Capt. John Smith in 1609 as a retreat from possible attack. The brick dwelling was built in the mid-18th century on land given by Powhatan to John Rolfe on his marriage to Pocahontas. This property is now owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. The garden was planted by The Garden Club of Virginia with proceeds from Historic Garden Week. Open daily during Historic Garden Week. For hours and admission fee: telephone (757) 294-3872 or www.apva.org. Historic Virginia Landmark, fort a National Historic Landmark, and property on the National Register of Historic Places.
BACON'S CASTLE, located off Rt. 10 at 465 Bacon's Castle Trail in Surry County, 6 mi. southeast of Surry Courthouse. Bacon's Castle was built in 1665 by English immigrant Arthur Allen and is the oldest documented brick house in English North America. It possesses several architectural features that have, over the centuries, become extinct in this country. The building is one of the earliest Virginia houses to be constructed in a cruciform design, with the main body of the house joined by a porch tower on the front and a stair tower on the rear. The handsome curvilinear Flemish gables are accented by robust offset triple chimney stacks that add to the atmosphere of great age enveloping this entire plantation setting. Purchased by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities in 1973, the property is an extensive ongoing restoration project of the APVA. The Garden Club of Virginia has documented the 1680 garden at Bacon's Castle through archaeological research. It is the oldest, largest, most sophisticated and best preserved 17th century garden site in America. For hours and admission fee: telephone (757) 357-5976 or www.apva.org.
CHIPPOKES PLANTATION STATE PARK, Surry, located across the James River from Jamestown, off Rt. 10 on Rt. 634 (Alliance Rd.) Chippokes is one of the oldest working plantations in North America, having been farmed continuously since 1619. The 1864 Jones-Stewart Mansion is furnished with antiques collected by the last owner, Evelyn Stewart. The Park also features the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum, which displays antique farm and forestry equipment, tools and house wares, an 1,800-foot forestry interpretive trail, and a 1930s sawmill. For information about hours for the Park Mansion and Museum: (757) 294-3625 or www.dcr.virginia.gov/parks/chippokes.