Strawberry Hill is a historic home located in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, built by tobacco warehouse owner,

William Barksdale William Barksdale (August 21, 1821 – July 3, 1863) was a lawyer, newspaper editor, US Representative, and Confederate general in the American Civil War. A staunch secessionist, he was mortally wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg while he le ...

, in 1792. Strawberry Hill, designed with a tripartite

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

form, is an early example of a Virginia dwelling built in the neoclassical style and includes several notable architectural features. It is now an inn and event venue. Strawberry Hill is listed in the

U.S. 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 ...

and the

Virginia Landmarks Register The Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) is a list of historic properties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The state's official list of important historic sites, it was created in 1966. The Register serves the same purpose as the National Registe ...

, and is located in the

Folly Castle Historic District Folly Castle Historic District, also known as the West Washington Street Historic District, is a national historic district located at Petersburg, Virginia. The district includes 189 contributing buildings and 1 contributing object located in a ...

History & Architecture

About 1792, tobacconist

constructed the house in an elaborate, tripartite form that became common in Southside, Virginia, and into eastern North Carolina around 1800. The house is located adjacent to a tobacco warehouse Barksdale built earlier, in 1770, which played a large role in the mercantile development of Petersburg. Barksdale laid out his house with a two-story central section flanked by one-story wings on either side. The pavilion contained a generous entry with staircase on the first story, with a grand drawing room behind it. Chambers were located in the wings and on the upper floor. Local merchant, William Henry Haxall purchased the house in 1800 and enlarged it in 1815-16, by deepening the wings and raising them to two stories. Haxall famously gambled his fortune on horse racing and put up Strawberry Hill as collateral for debt, which had risen to $5,842 in 1827 when he became indebted to

George Keith Taylor George Keith Taylor (March 16, 1769 – November 9, 1815) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Fourth Circuit. Education and career Born on March 16, 1769, in Petersburg, Colony of Virginia, British A ...

, brother-in-law to Chief Justice

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

. The property was later sold to James McIlwaine and passed to his three children: John, Mary and Sally McIlwaine when he died intestate in 1857. Around 1880, under new ownership, the house was divided into three units, with an off-center front door and entrance. an
''Accompanying photo''
/ref> Beginning in the 1980s, Strawberry Hill was restored into a single residence. It is now an inn and event venue. The house, a

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

style tripartite structure, was listed in the

and the

in 1974. The house is notable for its use of quirked, neoclassical moldings in a pre-1800 context. Other notable features include King of Prussia stone steps with hand-forged, wrought iron railings elaborated with scrollwork, that lead to a delicately carved

pedimented Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pediment ...

doorway. The treatment of the drawing room chimneypiece flanked by decorative, shell backed arched niches is also remarkable. Strawberry Hill Circa 1976

Notable Guests

Strawberry Hill has received notable guests including: *

John Randolph of Roanoke John Randolph (June 2, 1773May 24, 1833), commonly known as John Randolph of Roanoke,''Roanoke'' refers to Roanoke Plantation in Charlotte County, Virginia, not to the city of the same name. was an American planter, and a politician from Virg ...

a Virginia planter and politician who served in the House of Representatives and Senate *

William Meade William Meade (November 11, 1789March 14, 1862) was an American Episcopal bishop, the third Bishop of Virginia. Early life His father, Colonel Richard Kidder Meade (1746–1805), one of George Washington's aides during the War of Independence, ...

the third Bishop of Virginia

References

External links

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Federal architecture in Virginia Houses completed in 1800 Houses in Petersburg, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Petersburg, Virginia Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Virginia {{PetersburgVA-NRHP-stub

History & Architecture

Notable Guests

See also

References

External links