Early History

Chericoke is a historic home and national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located near Falls in

King William County, Virginia King William County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,810. Its county seat is King William. King William County is located in the Middle Peninsula and is included in the Greater R ...

. It was built by

Carter Braxton Carter Braxton (September 10, 1736October 10, 1797) was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, a merchant, planter, a Founding Father of the United States and a Virginia politician. A grandson of Robert "King" Carter, one of ...

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary Patriots, also known as Revolutionaries, Continentals, Rebels, or American Whigs, were t ...

and signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

) in 1767. Located several miles northwest of his family's estate of

Elsing Green Elsing Green Plantation, a National Historic Landmark and wildlife refuge, rests upon nearly along the Pamunkey River in King William County, Virginia, a rural county on the western end of the state's middle peninsula, approximately northea ...

, Chericoke served as Braxton's home from 1767 to 1786. Braxton is believed to have been buried in the adjoining family cemetery shortly after his death in 1797. The structure was rebuilt in brick in the Federal style by his grandson Dr. Corbin Braxton in 1828. It 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 v ...

in 1980. Now, the property is in the possession of and maintained by Alice Horsely Siegel, who has since significantly renovated with the addition of several other small houses, though the structure of the original house, known as the "Big House," has largely remained unchanged.

References

External links

National Park Service Biography on Carter Braxton
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia Federal architecture in Virginia Braxton family of Virginia Carter family residences Houses in King William County, Virginia Houses completed in 1767 National Register of Historic Places in King William County, Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia 1767 establishments in Virginia Homes of United States Founding Fathers {{KingWilliamCountyVA-NRHP-stub