Thomas Nelson House is an historic Colonial home in

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...

. It was built around 1730 and held by generations of the Nelson family through the Revolutionary War. After years in private ownership, it was designated as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

and added to 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 1966. It was acquired by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

in 1968 and restored in 1976 to its 18th-century character. It is also a contributing property to

Colonial National Historical Park Colonial National Historical Park is located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and is operated by the National Park Service of the United States government. The park protects and interprets several sites relating to the Colony of Virgini ...

in Yorktown and among the battlefield attractions.

History

The house was built by

Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson (1677–1747) was a businessman and politician who immigrated from England to become a merchant at Yorktown in the Colony of Virginia. He was from Penrith, Cumberland.

around 1730, and later occupied by his grandson,

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

Thomas Nelson, Jr. (1738-1789) during the American Revolutionary War. Nelson, Jr., who signed 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 th ...

as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, was a planter, politician, and later governor of Virginia. The house was damaged during the

siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. It served as a hospital during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. In 1914, it was purchased by Captain and Mrs. George P. Blow, who renamed it as "York Hall". They made a number of additions to update the property, which were designed by Griffin & Wynkoop. In 1968, the

bought the property. It restored the house in 1976 to its 18th-century character. It has been designated as the Thomas Nelson House, a

National Historical Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

. It is also a contributing property to the Yorktown Battlefield Part of

. It is open for tours as part of the Yorktown Battlefield attractions.

References

External links

{{commons category, Thomas Nelson House (Yorktown, Virginia)
Nelson House
- Yorktown Battlefield
Waymarking.comRememberyorktown.org
Historic district contributing properties in Virginia Nelson family of Virginia Houses completed in 1730 Houses in York County, Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia Colonial architecture in Virginia American Civil War sites Museums in York County, Virginia Historic house museums in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in York County, Virginia Homes of United States Founding Fathers