The Moore House is a historic building located within

Colonial National Historical Park Colonial National Historical Park is a large national historical park located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia operated by the National Park Service. It protects and interprets several sites relating to the Colony of Virginia and the his ...

, in York County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, it was the site of negotiations for British General Charles Cornwallis's surrender at the

Siege of Yorktown The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Ma ...

History

The house was erected around 1725 on a 500-acre parcel of land called Temple Farm which also included a dam and grist mill. The land was originally granted to the Crown Governor of Virginia,

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics *John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician *John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture a ...

in the 1630s and was known as the York Plantation at this time. Lawrence Smith II later built the Moore House on Temple Farm and the home stayed within the family until 1754 when his son, Robert, sold it to his brother-in-law Augustine Moore to avoid financial woes. Augustine and his family fled to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

to avoid the

Siege of Yorktown

General Cornwallis requested a cease fire on October 17, 1781, and selected the house as the site for surrender negotiations, likely due to its neutral and convenient location. Washington's and Cornwallis's representatives met at the house the following day, where they negotiated Articles of Capitulation. A rough draft was delivered to Washington's headquarters that night, where he made minor changes. The revised articles were agreed to and signed on October 19.

Later history

The House passed to Hugh Nelson in 1797 following the deaths of Augustine and his wife. It had several owners over the years and was significantly damaged during the 1862

. Later the house's wood was pilfered by soldiers for fire fuel. The house was not repaired until the advent of the Battle of Yorktown Centennial Celebration in 1881. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

restored the house between 1931 and 1934 using historic photos. It was dedicated on 18–19 October 1934. The restoration work was the first of its kind undertaken by the

References

External links

* {{Authority control Houses in York County, Virginia American Revolutionary War sites Museums in York County, Virginia Historic house museums in Virginia Colonial National Historical Park Historic district contributing properties in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in York County, Virginia Treaty signing historic sites 1725 establishments in the Colony of Virginia Houses completed in 1725