Westover Plantation is a historic colonial tidewater plantation located on the north bank of the James River in

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 ...

. Established in c. 1730–1750, it is the homestead of the

Byrd family of Virginia William Byrd I (1652 – December 4, 1704) was an English-born Virginia colonist and politician. He came from Shadwell, London where his father John Bird (c. 1620–1677) was a goldsmith. His family's ancestral roots were in Cheshire. Personal li ...

. State Route 5, a scenic byway, runs east–west to the north of the plantation, connecting the independent cities of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and Williamsburg. The plantation has been 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 ...

in the United States, cited for the architectural quality of its early Georgian mansion house and the history of its influential family. In the early years of the Virginia colony, the plantation was one of the sites of the courts of Charles City County.

History

Sir John Pawlett, by deeds of

lease and release Lease and release is literally the lease (tenancy) of non-tenanted property by its owner followed by a release (relinquishment) of the landlord's interest in the property. This sequence of transactions was commonly used to transfer full title to re ...

demise Demise is an Anglo-Norman legal term (from French ''démettre'', from Latin ''dimittere'', to send away) for the transfer of an estate, especially by lease. It has an operative effect in a lease, implying a covenant "for quiet enjoyment." The ...

d most of Westover Plantation in 1665 to

Theodorick Bland of Westover Theodorick Bland (January 16, 1629 – April 23, 1671), also known as Theodorick Bland of Westover, was a planter, merchant and politician in colonial Virginia. Early and family life Born in London, he served as his family's business agent ...

for £170. Bland lived on the property until his death in 1671 and was buried in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

of the original

Westover Church Westover Church is a historic church located west of Charles City off Virginia State Route 5 in Charles City, Virginia, United States. It was built in 1731 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Theodorick Bland of Westo ...

, which he helped build. His eldest son, Theodorick, inherited the land and joined with his brother,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...

, in its ownership. The brothers eventually conveyed 1,200 acres of the property to

William Byrd I William Byrd I (1652 – December 4, 1704) was an English-born Virginia colonist and politician. He came from Shadwell, London where his father John Bird (c. 1620–1677) was a goldsmith. His family's ancestral roots were in Cheshire. Personal li ...

in 1688 for £300 and 10,000 pounds of tobacco and cask. The plantation is notable for its 18th-century and later history. The mansion, Westover Plantation, was built in the

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...

. It was considered the seat of the

William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...

family in Virginia.

William Byrd II William Byrd II (March 28, 1674August 26, 1744) was an American planter, lawyer, surveyor, author, and a man of letters. Born in Colonial Virginia, he was educated in London, where he practiced law. Upon his father's death, he returned to Virg ...

, the founder of

, was thought to have built the

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

c. 1730. This date was part of the 1960 designation of the house as a

. But, since the late 20th century, recent dendrochronologic testing on boards and planks in the house showed that they dated to the 1750s. The house was thus probably built and first occupied by

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 ...

, not his father. The revised construction date has been recognized 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 propertie ...

."Westover"
, ''James River Plantations,'' National Park Service, accessed 9 December 2010 Like the other

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 ...

s along the James River, Westover was first devoted to the cultivation of tobacco, the major

commodity In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them. The price of a comm ...

of colonial

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 ...

. The Byrd family depended on the labor of hundreds of enslaved Africans, as tobacco was a labor-intensive crop. The original grounds included slave quarters. In addition to working as field hands, other slaves worked as domestic servants and skilled artisans of many types. Tobacco cultivation exhausted the soil and, pushed also by changes in markets, in the 19th century planters shifted to mixed crops, which were less labor-intensive. As development of the Deep South ensued, planters in the Upper South sold "excess" slaves in the

domestic slave trade The domestic slave trade, also known as the Second Middle Passage and the interregional slave trade, was the term for the domestic trade of enslaved people within the United States that reallocated slaves across states during the Antebellum perio ...

, which continued to the Civil War. Stairway view Westover Plantation

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 th ...

, Westover was used as headquarters of the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Fifth Corps and one of the wings burned during this time. After the death of William Byrd III's widow in 1814, Westover was sold out of the Byrd family. Since then, Westover has had three subsequent owners, including lawyer John Armistead Selden (a member of the

Selden family The Selden family has a long history both in the United States and in England. The name originated from the ancient location of Selkeden in Eccleston, Sussex, England. The first known Selden in this family was John, born about 1210. A subsequent J ...

and the Lee family), whose detailed diaries of daily life at Westover remain in publication as a popular primary source on the economic and cultural history of nineteenth-century Virginian agriculture, and

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

officer Augustus Harrison Drewry. Drewry, who is best known for commanding the gun batteries of

Fort Darling Fort Darling (Drewry's Fort, Drewry's Bluff) was a Confederate military installation during the American Civil War located at Drewry's Bluff, a high point of 80–100 feet overlooking a bend in the James River south of Richmond in Chesterfield Co ...

during Battle of Drewry's Bluff in 1862, lived at Westover until his death in 1899 and made many changes; including rebuilding the burned wing, connecting the dependencies and enlarging the dining room so that it ran the depth of the house. In the early 20th century, Westover was acquired by United States diplomat Richard Teller Crane, II, who restored the mansion and grounds. It has remained in the Crane family ever since. The site was damaged by

Hurricane Isabel Hurricane Isabel was the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Mitch, and the deadliest, costliest, and most intense hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Isabel was also the strongest hurricane in the open waters of the Atlanti ...

in 2003. Ten feet of riverbank, a 250-year-old road, and a 150-year-old poplar from the south lawn were eroded into the river during the storm.

Architecture

The house is noteworthy for its symmetry and balance of proportions,

secret passage Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow peop ...

s, mid pack gardens, front door, and its Georgian style (which was inspired by the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia). The grounds and garden are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and you can tour the mansion with an appointment.

Popular Culture

The plantation was a set location in every season of AMC's Revolutionary War drama series “Turn” (2014-2017). It was also featured in the HBO miniseries “John Adams” (2008) and, most recently, in the film “The Field of Lost Shoes" (2014).

References

External links

*
"Westover"
, ''James River Plantations,'' National Park Service

Virginia's James River Plantations
Listing in National Historic Landmarks websiteStudent account of a visit to Westover
''Journals'', College of William and Mary
Westover, State Route 633, Westover, Charles City, VA
73 photos, 8 measured drawings, 15 color transparencies, 5 data pages, and 6 photo caption pages at

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

Westover, Office Building, State Route 633, Charles City, Charles City, VA
3 photos and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Buildings Survey
Westover, Kitchen Building, State Route 633, Charles City, Charles City, VA
2 photos and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Buildings Survey
Westover, Tool Shed, State Route 633, Charles City, Charles City, VA
2 photos and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Buildings Survey {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses in Charles City County, Virginia James River plantations National Historic Landmarks in Virginia Byrd family of Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Charles City County, Virginia Tobacco plantations in the United States

History

Architecture

Popular Culture

See also

References

External links