The two-story house was built in 1763 over the cellar of the previous house that was built in 1682 by Edward Hill Sr. Archibald McCall hired William Buckland, an architect and master builder, to construct the

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...

house. It figured in history as the place where McCall was tar and feathered for his stance on the Stamp Act of 1765. It was shot at during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

stayed at the house numerous times, and was the leader of Dr. Archibald Brockenbrough during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

. Benjamin Blake Brockenbrough owned the house during the middle and late 1800s, during which time his cousin Judith Brockenbrough operated a school for girls after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

until 1875. In 1927, the house was purchased for the St. Margaret's School campus. It is one of the pre-Revolutionary buildings of the Tappahannock Historic District, which was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1973.

History

Archibald McCall

It was built in 1763 by Archibald McCall, a merchant who was born in Scotland and settled in Colonial America in 1754. He established a merchant business in the town, which was called Hobbs Hole at the time. William Buckland was the architect and master builder of the

house. The wood work and trim in the house are attributed to Buckland. The building is L-shaped building has two stories and sits over the original cellar. (Located on Lot 1 of the original town plat, there was first a 20 foot square house that was built in 1682 by Edward Hill Sr.) The house has high ceilings and a number of windows. A wood staircase in the wide central entrance hall lead up to the second story. It is located on a cliff overlooking the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...

and across the river from the

Mount Airy Plantation Mount Airy, near Warsaw in Richmond County, Virginia, is the first neo-Palladian villa mid-Georgian plantation house built in the United States. It was constructed in 1764 for Colonel John Tayloe II, perhaps the richest Virginia planter of his ...

. In 1766, there claimed to have been a riot at McCall's house in reaction to the Stamp Act of 1765. McCall insisted on collecting the British tax on stamps and other documents. He was tarred and feathered by a mob in what has been described as "one of the foremost demonstrations against the stamp act". The house was frequented by

. During the

, a British gunboat in the Rappahannock River shelled the house and broke the black marble mantel in the drawing room. It was repaired and is still in use in the house.

Brockenbroughs

Dr. Austin Brockenbrough purchased the house in 1813 for himself and his wife, Francis Blake. He was the son of Dr. John Brockenbrough (1741–1801) and the brother of Dr. John Brockenbrough, who built what became the

White House of the Confederacy The White House of the Confederacy is a historic house located in the Court End neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. Built in 1818, it was the main executive residence of the sole President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, ...

. During the

, Austin Brockenbrough served in the

1st Virginia Regiment The 1st Virginia Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Virginia Line that served with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. History Origins The regiment originated from the Charles City-Henrico County Regiment of ...

under

. He served during

in the

6th Virginia Regiment The 6th Virginia Regiment was raised on December 28, 1775, at Williamsburg, Virginia, for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, ...

. He was a prominent physicians and served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

. When Austin died in 1858, his son Benjamin inherited the house. Benjamin Blake and Annie Mason Brockenbrough made over a room in the house to a chapel. In 1865, they loaned the house to his cousin Judith White Brockenbrough McGuire and Reverend John P. McGuire, her husband. A girls' school was operated by Judith after the

(1861–1865) and until 1875. She wrote books ''General Robert E. Lee: A Christian Soldier'', ''Diary of a Southern Refugee'' and ''Travels in Europe'' In the 1880s, Benjamin moved back into the house and lived there until his death in 1921.

Joseph Chinn

Judge Joseph Willam Chinn inherited the house from his uncle Benjamin. His mother Gabriella Brockenbrough Chinn (Daughter of Austin Brockenbrough), was born and raised on the property.

St. Margaret's School

In 1927, the house was sold to Episcopal Diocese of Virginia for the St. Margaret's School in Tappahannock. It has been used as housing for students and staff. It has also been used as an infirmary. The house was restored in 2004 and 2005. It is the Head of School residence and serves as the Alumnae House.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Essex County, Virginia 1763 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies