The Peyton Randolph House, also known as the Randolph-Peachy House, is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location a ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Its oldest portion dating to about 1715, it is one of the museum's oldest surviving buildings. It was designated 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 ...

in 1973 as the home of

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. ...

Peyton Randolph Peyton Randolph (September 10, 1721 – October 22, 1775) was an American politician and planter who was a Founding Father of the United States. Born into Virginia's wealthiest and most powerful family, Randolph served as speaker of Virginia' ...

(1721–1775), the first and third President of the Continental Congress.

Description and history

The Randolph House is located in near the center of Colonial Williamsburg, at the northeast corner of Nicholson and North England Streets. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, appearing as a seven-bay main block with a single-story ell to the east. The main block is capped by a roof that is hipped at the western end and gabled at the eastern. The main entrance is set in the center bay, sheltered by a gabled hood. Windows are arranged slightly out of symmetry, a product of the building's construction history. The building interior retains original 18th century woodwork, and a marble fireplace mantel in its central section. The oldest portion of the house is the western half of the main block, which was built about 1715 by William Robertson. It was purchased by

Sir John Randolph Sir John Randolph (1693 – March 7, 1737) was an American politician. He was a Speaker of the House of Burgesses, an Attorney General for the Colony of Virginia, and the youngest son of William Randolph and Mary Isham. Early life Randolph ...

in 1724, who also purchased a lot to the east, where he built a second house. Randolph's son Peyton joined the two structures together by building the middle section. The eastern section did not have internal access to the rest of the house, and may have been used by the younger Randolph as an office. The western section of the house originally had a fully hipped roof, and the area between it and the middle section's gable was used as a water collection area, housing a cistern that is still found in the building's attic. 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 ...

, the home was owned by the Peachy Family, and was used as a hospital for Union and Confederate troops wounded during the

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pi ...

on May 5, 1862.Hudson, Carson. ''Civil War Williamsburg''. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1997. Print. The building was restored by Colonial Williamsburg 1938–1940. The original east wing, in poor condition, was torn down and a reconstruction built. That area was determined to contain at least two Native American Indian burial sites and pottery. These graves were disturbed during the construction of the tunnel for the Colonial National Parkway in 1941. In 1970 the house was declared a

, for its well-preserved early 18th-century architecture, and for its association with prominent Randolph family. and

References

External links

Peyton Reynolds House at Colonial Williamsburg
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, Peyton, House Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia National Historic Landmarks in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses in Williamsburg, Virginia Houses completed in 1715 Historic house museums in Virginia Randolph family residences Colonial Williamsburg Museums in Williamsburg, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Williamsburg, Virginia 1715 establishments in Virginia Historic district contributing properties in Virginia Homes of United States Founding Fathers

Description and history

See also

References

External links