Lower Brandon Plantation (or simply Brandon or Brandon Plantation and initially known as Martin's Brandon) is located on the south shore of the James River in present-day

Prince George County, Virginia Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George. Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. st ...

. The

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

is an active farm and was tended perhaps from 1607 on, and more clearly from 1614 on, making it one of the longest-running agricultural enterprises in the United States. It has an unusual brick mansion in style of Palladio's "Roman Country House" completed in the 1760s, and was perhaps designed by

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

. It was established in 1616 by

Captain John Martin Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, one of the original leaders of the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

at Jamestown in 1607. The plantation was owned by the

Harrison family The Harrison family of Virginia is an American family with a history in politics, public service, and religious ministry, beginning in the Colony of Virginia during the 1600’s. Their descendants include a Founding Father of the United States, ...

for over two centuries, from 1700–1926. Restored by Robert Williams Daniel in the early 20th century, it is 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 ...

History

Brandon Plantation was part of a 1616 land grant of approximately on the south bank of the James River to

(1560–1632). Captain Martin was one of the original colonists and a member of the first Council in the spring of 1607, when Jamestown was first established. Martin's new plantation built on the 1616 land grant was initially named "Martin's Brandon", apparently incorporating the family name of his wife, Mary Martin (née Brandon), daughter of

Robert Brandon Robert Brandon (died 30 May 1591) was an English goldsmith and jeweller to Queen Elizabeth I of England.Masters, p. xxxii–xxxviii A prominent member of the Goldsmiths' Company, Brandon was elected Chamberlain or treasurer of the City of London i ...

, a prominent English goldsmith and supplier to Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

. They had been married in 1586. In 1619, Martin's Brandon was one of the plantations represented when what became the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...

, the first representative legislative body in the English colonies, met at Jamestown. The representatives of Martin's Brandon were Thomas Davis and Robert Stacy. During the

Indian Massacre of 1622 The Indian massacre of 1622, popularly known as the Jamestown massacre, took place in the English Colony of Virginia, in what is now the United States, on 22 March 1622. John Smith, though he had not been in Virginia since 1609 and was not an e ...

which occurred on Good Friday, March 22, 1622, there were 7 deaths recorded at Martin's Brandon, including one woman and two boys. 347 deaths were recorded during the coordinated attacks along both shores of the James River, from the mouth of the river at Newport News Point on Hampton Roads, west to Falling Creek

Captain John Martin died at Martin's Brandon Plantation in 1632. His grandson, Captain Robert Bargrave, inherited the plantation on Martin's death. In 1637, merchants John Sadler and Richard Quiney and mariner William Barker, who patented the nearby Merchant's Hope plantation, bought Martin's Brandon. They and their heirs farmed it successfully until 1720 when it was sold to Nathaniel Harrison (1677–1727). After Nathaniel's premature death in 1727, it passed to his son Nathaniel Harrison II (1703–1791) who built the current manor house around 1765. Brandon then came into the possession of

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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Benjamin Harrison (1743–1807). At his death, the property was divided between his two sons, and Upper Brandon Plantation was created. In 1824 tax records show that Brandon had 93 slaves and Upper Brandon had 94. Brandon Plantation (aka Lower Brandon) remained in the Harrison family until 1926, when it was acquired by Robert Williams Daniel, a Richmond banker. The Daniels undertook the restoration of the house and grounds and purchased several adjacent tracts of land that were part of the original land grant that had been separated from the estate over the previous three centuries. U.S. Congressman Robert W. Daniel, Jr. (1936–2012) inherited the property from his parents. Brandon 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 ...

in 1969, and was further declared a U.S.

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 ...

in 1985. and (at Virginia DHR, includes map of the plantation) The restored manor house was, furnished by the Daniels with 1760s era English and American furnishings. Brandon is still a working farm and the agricultural enterprise is one of the oldest continuous farming operations in the United States. The 4487.5-acre property was sold at auction by the estate of Robert W. Daniel, Jr., on 23 June 2013. In late 2013 the purchase contract with the buyer fell through and the estate was put back on the market with an asking price of $20 million. Midway through 2014, a Florida family purchased it for $17.8 million; soon after acquiring it, the new owners announced their intention to continue the agricultural operation and to occupy the historic manor house for part of the year.

References

External links

Brandon Plantation

* {{James River Plantations James River plantations National Historic Landmarks in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Prince George County, Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Houses in Prince George County, Virginia Harrison family of Virginia Palladian Revival architecture in Virginia Tourist attractions in Prince George County, Virginia

History

See also

References

External links