Historical Significance Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson's plantation retreat and architectural masterpiece, offers insight into the community of enslaved workers that took shape on the property during Jefferson's 54 years of ownership. Many of these…

Historical Significance Sweet Briar College is located on the former Sweet Briar Plantation site, home of Elijah Fletcher and his descendants. Elijah Fletcher was born in 1789 in Ludlow, Vermont. In 1810 he traveled to Virginia to teach at New…

Historical Significance Stratford Hall was the home of four generations of the Lee family, which included two signers of the Declaration of Independence, and was the birthplace of General Robert E. Lee. The plantation currently encompasses nearly…

Historical Significance Enslaved labor was essential to the functioning of Shirley Plantation. African Americans tended the fields, harvested the crops, maintained the house, cooked the meals, and provided the majority of skilled labor, including…

Historical Significance Prestwould Plantation was built for Sir Peyton Skipwith and Jean Miller Skipwith after their marriage in 1788. Prestwould was among the largest plantations in the state. The papers and records kept by the Skipwiths provide…

Historical Significance The grounds of Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation include the 1835 Dower Quarter - a well-preserved, two - room frame slave quarter. Physical Description "Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation" is a museum of plantation…

Historical Significance Due to to George Washington's conscientious record-keeping and his prominence in American history, Mount Vernon is one of the best-documented plantations in the United States. Initially acquired by Washington's…

Historical Significance Located on a small mountain outside Charlottesville, Virginia, Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of…

Historical Significance Hannah Valentine and Lethe Jackson were house slaves at Montcalm, the family home of David and Mary Campbell, constructed in Abingdon in 1827. Hannah and Lethe were left to care for Montcalm during the years David Campbell…

Historical Significance The first European settlers to inhabit Shuter's Hill were the Mills family. John Mills, a merchant, constructed the first known historical residence on the property in 1781. His plantation relied on the labor of nine enslaved…