Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation
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Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation is a property 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 v ...
in Holdcroft,
Charles City County, Virginia Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The ...
. The scale and character of the collection of domestic architecture at this site recalls the vernacular architectural traditions of the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries along the
James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
. Located mostly north of today's
Virginia State Route 5 Virginia State Route 5 (SR 5) is a primary state highway in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. It runs between the independent city, independent cities of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia, Williamsburg. Between Charle ...
, these frame structures of the common planters were in contrast to the elaborate brick residences of the wealthiest families who developed plantations along the waterfront of the James River. Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation is located on the high ridge of land to the north of the river, in an area of smaller plantations with more modest homes. The original section was built about 1800 as a , one-story log corn crib. It was expanded to a -story log store about 1820. In 1853, two additions were built, and in the early 20th century, the two-story block was created which incorporated the two rooms of the 1853 addition. The house is a rare survival of log vernacular architecture in Tidewater Virginia and a unique survival of a log agricultural building that was later twice incorporated into a much larger frame structure. an
Accompanying photo
It was added to 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 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 v ...
in 1985.


History

Before English settlement in the seventeenth century, the Southall
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 ...
site in
Charles City County Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The ...
was part of the homeland of the
Chickahominy (tribe) The Chickahominy are a federally recognized tribe of Virginian Native Americans who primarily live in Charles City County, located along the James River midway between Richmond and Williamsburg in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This area of th ...
. The plantation site is located near the ''Mattahunk'' village site and the trail known as Necotowance's Path. During the late eighteenth century, the plantation was one of the many seats of the Southall family in the region. Other Southall family properties in Charles City County included Mt. Airy, Milton and Vaughn's. In
Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...
were located the Southall homes of Chatsworth, Reveille, and Westham, and another branch had Young's Island in Warwick County. The original portion of the Piney Grove house was constructed before 1790 as a log corn crib on the Southall plantation. It survives as a rare and well-preserved example of early log architecture in
Tidewater Virginia Tidewater refers to the north Atlantic coastal plain region of the United States of America. Definition Culturally, the Tidewater region usually includes the low-lying plains of southeast Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, southern Maryl ...
. During the second quarter of the eighteenth century, Furneau Southall served as deputy-sheriff of Charles City County, under Otway Byrd, son of
William Byrd III Colonel William Byrd III (September 6, 1728January 1 or January 2, 1777) was an American planter, politician and military officer who was a member of the House of Burgesses. Early life He was son of William Byrd II and Maria Taylor Byrd, and t ...
of
Westover Plantation Westover Plantation is a historic colonial tidewater plantation located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. Established in c. 1730–1750, it is the homestead of the Byrd family of Virginia. State Route 5, ...
. During the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
, Southall served on the Charles City County Committee of Safety with John Tyler of Greenway, father of President
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...
of Woodburn and
Sherwood Forest Plantation Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. The main plantation house, built in 1730, was the home of President John Tyler (1790–1862) for the last twenty years of hi ...
s. Southall also held a captainship of one of the Charles City County companies under
Benjamin Harrison V Benjamin Harrison V (April 5, 1726April 24, 1791) was an American planter, merchant, and politician who served as a legislator in colonial Virginia, following his namesakes’ tradition of public service. He was a signer of the Continental Ass ...
of
Berkeley Plantation Berkeley Plantation, one of the first plantations in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred, named after the Berkele ...
. In 1790 Southall administered the first U.S. Census locally. During the late eighteenth century, residents of the plantation included Furneau Southall, his wife, and seven children. Also housed here were sixteen
slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
: Amy, Bess, Bristol, Critty, Dick, Dublin, Jack, Kate, Lucky, Nutty, Patsey, Pompy, Peter, Rippons, Rose, and Silvia. The personal property tax lists also document the plantation furnishings, library, and livestock. The plantation was held by the Southall family until 1857, when Furneau's grandson, John Seth Stubblefield, sold a portion of the plantation to Edmund Archer Saunders. This portion of the property included the log corn crib, which by 1857 had been converted and enlarged for use as a store. The 1851 addition to the original log structure may have been constructed with timbers re-used from the original plantation house: Original post and beam framing was reused in balloon frame construction. Under Saunders's ownership, the rural general merchandise business became known as Piney Grove Store.


Post-Civil War to present

Following 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 th ...
, Saunders moved to Richmond, where he became a successful wholesale grocer. He became a major landowner in
Charles City County Charles City County is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated southeast of Richmond and west of Jamestown. It is bounded on the south by the James River and on the east by the Chickahominy River. The ...
, purchasing properties such as Indian Fields, Weyanoke, and Upper Shirley. He commissioned a handsome stone baptismal font for Westover Episcopal Church, which remains in use there. A portrait of Saunders hangs in the drawing room of the big house at
Evelynton Plantation Evelynton Plantation is an estate located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located along State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg. Evel ...
, which was built by his granddaughter Mary Ball Saunders Ruffin and her husband. Thomas Fletcher Harwood operated Piney Grove Store from 1874 until 1915. In 1905 he enlarged and adapted the store building as a five-bedroom residence. During Harwood's ownership, the property also included the office of his physician son, Dr. Ashton Harwood. The Harwood family children's cemetery is located on the grounds. It has elaborate cast-iron fencing produced by the Cincinnati Ironworks. From 1916 until 1984, Piney Grove belonged to the Hughes family.


Heritage tourism

After purchase in 1984, the Gordineer family began a five-year restoration of the house. Original outbuildings on the property include a smokehouse, chicken house, and small and large pole sheds to store farm equipment. Hughes family photographs document there were formerly both large and small barns, and a dairy that are no longer standing. The
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
remains of Dr. Harwood's office survive just northwest of the large pole shed. Piney Grove has been furnished with a collection of antiques and artifacts that chronicle the history of the property. They include family antiques that descend in the Gordineer family through a Canadian branch of the family, descendants of Judge Edward Bowen of Quebec, Canada. Bowen portraits include Edward Bowen, Isabella Cassan Bowen, and Isabella Bowen Hyndman. The grounds include a collection of folk architecture moved to Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation to be spared from demolition at their original sites. These buildings are Ashland (built 1835 in
James City County, Virginia James City County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,254. Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the adjacent independent city of Williamsburg. Located ...
); Dower Quarter (built 1835,
Henrico County, Virginia Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...
); Ladysmith (built 1857,
Caroline County, Virginia Caroline County is a United States county located in the eastern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The northern boundary of the county borders on the Rappahannock River, notably at the historic town of Port Royal. The Caroline county sea ...
); Duck Church (built 1917,
Dare County, North Carolina Dare County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,915. Its county seat is Manteo. Dare County is named after Virginia Dare, the first child born in the Americas to English p ...
); Pocahontas Tea House Outhouse (built ca. 1930, Henrico County), and Peace Hill Smokehouse (built ca. 1920, Charles City County). The grounds also include a reproduction of the Lanexa Farmstand (built ca. 1940, James City County, Virginia). The complex is 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 v ...
. The grounds are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, and guided tours of the house are available daily by appointment. Bed and breakfast lodging is available in the historic Ladysmith house on the property. The property is an official site of the Virginia Civil War Trails, Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail, Virginia Time Travelers Program, Jamestown Discovery Trail, and National Register "James River Plantations" Travel Itinerary.


See also

*
List of James River plantations James River plantations were established in the Virginia Colony along the James River between the mouth at Hampton Roads and the head of navigation at the Fall Line where Richmond is today. History The colony struggled for five years after its ...


References


External links


Official Site
National Park Service, National Register Travel Itinerary
"Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation"
Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Museums in Charles City County, Virginia James River plantations Houses completed in 1800 Historic house museums in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses in Charles City County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Charles City County, Virginia