George Craghead Gregory (July 17, 1878 – August 25, 1956) was an American attorney, businessman, historian, and author. He lived with his wife and seven children at "Granite Hall", an estate located near

Granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

in northwestern Chesterfield County about west of Richmond, Virginia. In 1932, he discovered the foundation of the first brick statehouse (capitol) building (circa 1646) of the Colony of Virginia at

Jamestown Island Jamestown Island is a island in the James River in Virginia, part of James City County. It is located off Glasshouse Point, to which it is connected via a causeway to the Colonial Parkway. Much of the island is wetland, including both swamp and ...

. In 1936, he founded the

Jamestowne Society Jamestowne Society is an organization founded in 1936 by George Craghead Gregory for descendants of stockholders in the Virginia Company of London and the descendants of those who owned land or who had domiciles in Jamestown or on Jamestown Isl ...

, a lineage organization.

Birth, education

Gregory was born in

Granville County, North Carolina Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford. Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

on July 17, 1878, to Lucy Jane Brodie and Archibald Hatchett Gregory (1840–1897). His father was born in

Lunenburg County, Virginia Lunenburg County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,936. Its county seat is Lunenburg. History Lunenburg County was established on May 1, 1746, from Brunswick County. The county ...

, and was one of the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

(VMI) cadets who were ordered by the

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

Henry A. Wise to stand guard at the

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...

of John Brown at

Harper's Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

in 1859 under the command of VMI Majors

William Gilham William Henry Gilham (January 13, 1818 – November 16, 1872) was an American soldier, teacher, chemist, and author. A member of the faculty at Virginia Military Institute, in 1860, he wrote a military manual which was still in modern use 145 yea ...

and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. During 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 ...

, Captain Gregory was with the Confederate North Carolina Infantry, and was wounded and imprisoned during the war. One of 10 children, George graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1902. Gregory became a prominent attorney, businessman and land developer in Richmond, Virginia, where he was an officer of Guaranty Trust Company, a predecessor of the modern

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...

Marriage, family

Following her debutante year, 1909–1910, in Richmond, on September 1, 1910, he married Constance Adela Heath (1890–1982) of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Sonning-on-Thames Sonning is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book ''Three Men in a Boat'' as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river". Geog ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. They made their home at "Granite Hall", which was located near the south side of the James River in

Chesterfield County, Virginia Chesterfield County is located just south of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north and the Appomattox River to the south. Its county seat is Chesterfield Court H ...

, where he had a large mansion erected. It was faced with granite quarried nearby. They had seven children. Among the children of Constance Adela (née Heath) Gregory and George Craghead Gregory was Edward Meeks "Pope" Gregory (1922–1995). Born at Granite Hall on September 30, 1922, he became an Episcopalian priest in Richmond. He was associated with Christ Church School, Christ-Church, Virginia; St. Marks Episcopal Church, Richmond, and lastly, St. Peters Episcopal Church in Richmond. During the era of Massive Resistance and the desegregation crisis post-

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...

in Virginia, when Prince Edward County’s public schools were closed, Gregory raised money for black students to attend private schools from 1959 to 1964. Reverend Meeks held the first

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

ceremony in Virginia, on the lawn of St. Peter's Church in Richmond, in August 1978. In 1979, while serving on Richmond'’s Human Relations Commission, Gregory became a big proponent, albeit unsuccessfully, of adding sexual orientation to the city code's nondiscrimination policies.

Developer: bridging the James River

Gregory led the successful effort to build the privately funded Westham Bridge, a toll-bridge, which was completed in 1911. Linking western Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the bridge was located between Bosher's Dam and Williams Island Dam just west of the 7 miles of rapids and falls which constitute the

fall line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

of the James River at Richmond. The Westham Bridge was located just west of the Huguenot Bridge, which was built in 1949 and replaced it. Piers, abutments at each side, and power lines still marked the path in the early 20th century. Gregory was also involved in a scheme to extend streetcar service from Westhampton Lake (now part of the campus of the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

) across the Westham Bridge to the suburban resort community of Bon Air. Although grading was done and some roadbed was actually prepared, the plans never materialized. This was possibly due to either weight considerations involving the Westham Bridge or a

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

issue in Henrico County, or both. A portion of the graded pathway planned for the streetcar rising from the river survives as Southampton Road. Another stretch became Mohawk Drive in Bon Air.

Historical activity

Gregory and his wife were active in the Virginia Historical Society. He is credited in 1932 with discovering the foundation of the first brick statehouse (capitol) building circa 1646 at Jamestown, Virginia. In 1936, he founded the

for descendants of stockholders in the

Virginia Company of London The London Company, officially known as the Virginia Company of London, was a division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for colonizing the east coast of North America between latitudes 34° and 41° N. History Origins The territor ...

and the descendants of those who owned land or who had domiciles in Jamestown or on Jamestown Island prior to the year 1700. Mrs. Gregory remained in Richmond after the death of her husband in 1956, where she died in 1982.

Heritage, memoriam

The land surrounding the Gregory family estate, Granite Hall, became the site of a golf course of the Bon Air Country Club after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and a subdivision beginning in 1958. The granite stone manor house remains, fronting on Piney Branch Road, and is occupied as a private residence. Nearby, Granite Hall Avenue winds through the subdivision, now located within the city limits of the

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

of Richmond.

Books and publications by George C. Gregory

*''United nations of the world'' 1906 ISBN B00088HAT8 *''Sir Thomas West, 2nd Lord De La Warr'' 1926 ISBN B0008960OI *''The Ransom work box'' 1933 ISBN B0008BTR7S *''Nicolas and Jane Martiau, ancestors of Washington'' 1934 ISBN B0008BU25Y *''Jamestown, first brick state house'' 1935 ISBN B0008BU2C2 *''Log house at Jamestown, 1607'' 1936 ISBN B0008BU59W *''Parents, uncles and aunts'' 1992 ISBN B0006P9K82