Carter's Grove
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Carter's Grove is currently a 750 acre Virginia plantation on the James River in the Grove Community of southeastern James City County. It was built for Carter Burwell, grandson of Robert "King" Carter and was completed in 1755. It was probably named for both the prominent and wealthy Carter family and nearby Grove Creek. Carter's Grove Plantation was built on the site of an earlier tract known as Martin's Hundred which had first been settled by the English colonists around 1620.
After hundreds of years of multiple owners and generations of families, around 1964 Carter's Grove was added to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's properties.
Carter's Grove was open to tourists for many years, but it is currently closed to the public, pending a reevaluation of its role in Colonial Williamsburg's programs.
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[edit] History
[edit] Wolstenholme Towne
In 1620, Wolstenholme Towne was built on the original land grant on the James River known as Martin's Hundred (in what is now James City County, Virginia). It was owned by an investment group of the Virginia Company of London but was later abandoned after losing many of its citizens in the Indian Massacre of 1622.
[edit] Robert Carter
Robert Carter (1663-1732) aka "King" Carter, was born in Corotoman in Lancaster County, Virginia. Robert was married to Judith Armistead (1665-1699). He bought some of the land that had been Wolstenholme Towne when his daughter married. His daughter was Elizabeth Carter (1688-1721). Robert retained ownership of the property and Elizabeth was entitled to the income produced by the land.
[edit] Elizabeth Carter
Elizabeth Carter (1688-1721) was married to Nathaniel Burwell (1680-1721), of Corotoman, Lancaster County, Virginia in 1709. Elizabeth and Nathaniel had a son: Carter Burwell (1716-1777).
[edit] Carter Burwell
Carter Burwell (1716-1777) inherited the property from his grandfather, and built the current house on what was by then a 1,400 acre estate. Carter married Lucy Ludwell Grymes (1720-?). Lucy was the daughter of John Grymes (1691-1749) and Lucy Ludwell (1698-1748). Carter and Lucy lived in the completed house for six months before Carter died in 1777. Carter had a son, Nathaniel Burwell (1750-1814) who married Susanna Grymes (1752-1788) on November 28, 1772.
[edit] Nathaniel Burwell
Colonel Nathaniel Burwell (1750-1814) moved to Carter's Grove in 1771 and raised corn and wheat. Carter's Grove remained in the Burwell family until 1838.
[edit] Archibald McCrea
Archibald McCrea, a Pittsburgh industrialist, bought the mansion in 1928. He and his wife, Mary Carling (née Dunlop) "Mollie" McCrea originally of Petersburg. The McCrea had the mansion substantially modernized and expanded under the guidance of Richmond architect Duncan Lee.
Archibald McCrea died in 1937, but his widow lived on at Carter's Grove another 25 years. Soon after, it was purchased from her estate, and transferred to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
[edit] Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The site is currently operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. In the 1970s, archaeological discoveries uncovered the remains of the circa 1620 Wolstenholme Towne fortified settlement on the property (which was substantially wiped out by the Indian Massacre of 1622, and soon thereafter abandoned). Wolstenholme Towne and interpretive slave quarters from a later period were partially restored to represent their respective periods during the almost 400 year history of the property, greatly adding to the attraction's features for tourists.
However, the main house at Carter's Grove is furnished as it was in 1928, and therefore, while of increasing historic value, does not fit well into the earlier time eras which are the main focus of Colonial Williamsburg presentations.
During a period of declining attendance at Colonial Williamsburg attractions, the foundation determined the substantial distance from the main restored area (7 miles) to be an additional contributing factor to the need to reevaluate its role. On January 2, 2003 the site was closed to the public to save operating funds. Closer to the downtown Williamsburg area, Colonial Williamsburg now operates the Great Hopes Plantation interpretive site which can easily be reached by the pedestrian traffic from the restored area, and continues the story of the lives of the slaves who played a vital role in building Colonial Virginia.
An additional hardship in the physical linking between the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg and Carter's Grove Plantation was severe weather damage to bucolic Carter's Grove Country Road in James City County during Hurricane Isabel later in 2003. The storm destroyed many trees along the paved road which is located almost entirely on private property, and required much of it to be semi-permanently closed, pending funding for costly repairs. (Since the hurricane, the Carter's Grove Plantation property has continued to be physically accessible by its main entrance on U.S. Route 60 in Grove, Virginia, although still closed to the public).
A future role of Carter's Grove as an attraction had not yet been determined as of October, 2006. Certain support functions of Colonial Williamsburg continue to operate on the expansive Carter's Grove property, however, and the property is secured and maintained, even though not open to the public.
