![]() ![]() The family had only a relatively brief period to enjoy their home before war came to the Peninsula. Curtis changed the name of his property to Endview. The 1860 census shows that Curtis owned $8,000 worth of real estate, $21,000 worth of personal property and 12 slaves. The young doctor established his medical practice at the plantation in 1856 and married Maria Whitaker in 1858. ![]() Slave quarters were scattered around the vicinity of the house and there are anecdotal references to a slave graveyard near the spring.īy the outbreak of the Civil War, Endview had passed out of direct ownership of the Harwood family and was purchased by William’s great-grandson Dr. Records show that the Harwood Plantation was home to 15 to 25 slaves during those years. Archaeological data, family stories, census information, tax records, and period maps provide evidence of the African-American presence at Endview. Abandoning tobacco as the staple crop, the Harwood’s shifted to grains, other mixed crops, and cattle.īetween the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, African-Americans made up over half of the population of Warwick County. For 90 years, the farm served as the home of the politically and economically influential Harwood family. Waterview on Mulberry Island was left to son William, III. Harwood’s 1769 structure became the center of what he styled “Harwood Plantation.” When he died in 1795, the large estate was divided with the Endview portion going to son Humphrey. The area was continually occupied during that period as evidenced by archaeological excavations which have uncovered remains of a post building, a root cellar, as well as numerous domestic artifacts. During the next hundred years, the Harwoods continued to acquire land in what would eventually become Warwick County, passing the estate from father to son through subsequent generations. Captain Harwood had emigrated from England in 1622 and eventually served as the Speaker of the House of Burgesses. By 1635, Captain Thomas Harwood, the grand ancestor of William Harwood, added the Endview lands to his holdings. ![]() Hundreds of artifacts, including a tablecloth from the USS Monitor, are on display in the museum’s 1862 Peninsula Campaign Gallery.įor more information visit the Lee Hall Mansion website.As the English colonists spread inland, the native population was pushed north and west. One of the last remaining antebellum homes on the Virginia Peninsula, Lee Hall Mansion was used as a headquarters by Confederate generals Joseph E. “Taps” was composed at Berkeley when General McClellan headquartered 140,000 Union troops in 1862.įor more information, visit the Berkeley Plantation website.Ĭompleted in 1859, Lee Hall Mansion was home to affluent planter Richard Decauter Lee, his wife Martha, and their children. See the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and President William Henry Harrison, “Old Tippecanoe”. On December 4, 1619, early settlers from England came ashore at Berkeley Plantation and observed the first official Thanksgiving in America. Artifacts from the site, as well as pictures and memorabilia of the Harwood family, are also on display.įor more information visit the Endview Plantation website.īerkeley is Virginia’s most historic plantation. An ongoing archaeological program and historic maps have identified the locations of several outbuildings, including a smokehouse, kitchen and barn. Built in 1769, Endview was home to members of the Harwood and Curtis families for over 200 years. The War of 1812 saw its use as a training ground, while the Civil War found Endview serving as a Confederate captain’s home and a hospital for both sides. The Revolutionary War brought 3,000 militia to its fresh water spring. ![]() The three wars fought on American soil have all left their traces at Endview Plantation. Today, Shirley continues to be a working plantation, a private family home, a growing business, a National Historic Landmark, and a direct link between the past and the present.įor more information visit the Shirley Plantation website. The chronicle of Shirley Plantation best exemplifies the period in our nation’s history between the settlement at Jamestown in 1607 and the movement towards American independence from Britain in 1776. Shirley Plantation is Virginia’s first plantation (1613) and one of the first economic engines of the New World. To this day, the 11th generation continues to own, operate, and work this grand southern plantation. Shirley tells the story of the Hill-Carter family, eyewitnesses to 11 generations of American history. Virginia’s Historic Triangle is known for its impressive, historic plantations.Ĭlick the links below to find out more about the best plantations around Williamsburg, VA. ![]()
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