Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation
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Before English settlement in the seventeenth century the Southall plantation site in Charles City County was the homeland of the Chickahominy (tribe). The plantation site is located near the Mattahunk village site and the trail known as Necotowance's Path. During the late eighteenth century the 300-acre plantation was one of the many seats of the Southall family. Other Southall family properties in Charles City County included Mt. Airy, Milton and Vaughn’s. In Henrico County were located the Southall homes of Chatsworth, Reveille, Westham and in Warwick County was located Young’s Island.
The original portion of the Piney Grove house was constructed as a log corn crib on the Southall plantation before 1790 and survives as a rare and well-preserved example of early log architecture in Tidewater Virginia. 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 of Westover Plantation. During the American Revolution Southall served on the Charles City County Committee of Safety (American Revolution) with John Tyler of Greenway, father of President John Tyler of Woodburn and Sherwood Forest Plantation. He also held a captainship of one of the Charles City County companies under Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. Furneau Southall was also responsible for the local administration of the first U.S. Census in 1790. During the late eighteenth century residents of the plantation included Furneau Southall, his wife and seven children, as well as sixteen slaves; Amy, Bess, Bristol, Critty, Dick, Dublin, Jack, Kate, Lucky, Nutty, Patsey, Pompy, Peter, Rippons, Rose and Silvia. Personal property tax lists document the plantation furnishings, library, and livestock.
The plantation remained in 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. Under Saunder's ownership this rural general merchandise became known as Piney Grove Store. Following the American Civil War, Saunders moved to Richmond and became a successful wholesale grocer, although during this period he did become a major landowner in Charles City County, purchasing properties such as Indian Fields, Weyanoke and Upper Shirley. A gift of E. A. Saunders, a handsome stone baptismal font, remains in use at Westover Church. A portrait of Saunders hangs in the drawing room of Evelynton Plantation, the home built by his grand-daughter, Mary Ball Saunders Ruffin and her husband.
Thomas Fletcher Harwood operated Piney Grove Store from 1874 until 1915 and in 1905 was responsible for enlarging and transforming the store building into a five bedroom home. During Harwood's ownership the property also included the office of his son, Dr. Ashton Harwood. The Harwood Family children's cemetery, with elaborate cast-iron fencing produced by the Cincinnati Ironworks, is located on the grounds. Piney Grove belonged to the Hughes family from 1916 until 1984, when the Gordineer family began the five-year restoration of the house. Today the grounds also a collection of folk architecture moved to the grounds of Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation to be spared from demolition; Ashland (built 1835 in James City County, Virginia), Dower Quarter (built 1835, Henrico County, Virginia), Ladysmith (built 1857, Caroline County, Virginia), Duck Church (built 1917, Dare County, North Carolina), and Peace Hill Smokehouse (built ca. 1920, Charles City County, Virginia). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 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.
