Green Spring Plantation

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remains of ancillary jail structure at Green Spring Plantation site, photo by National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior

Green Spring site is at western edge of Colonial Virginia's Historic Triangle near Jamestown and Williamsburg

Green Spring Plantation in James City County about five miles (8 km) west of Williamsburg, was the 17th century plantation of one of Colonial Virginia's more popular governors, Sir William Berkeley (1605 to 1677) and his second wife, Frances (née Culpeper) Stephens Berkeley, whom he wed in 1670.

Sir William Berkeley, who served several terms, is perhaps the best-known of Virginia's colonial governors. It is believed by many historians that the well-known Berkeley Plantation in nearby Charles City County was named in his honor, as were possibly Berkeley County and Berkeley Springs, both of which are now located in West Virginia.

The name Green Spring Plantation originated from the natural spring on the site, which continues over 350 years later to produce huge quantities of very beautifully clear, ultra cold water. The Green Spring produced a flow "so very cold that 'twas dangerous drinking the water thereof in Summer-time," wrote a visitor in the 1680s."

The manor house at Green Spring was built in 1645. The plantation originally encompassed a 2090 acre (8.5 km²) experimental farm. Seeking alternative export products to supplement tobacco, which had became the Colony's mainstay, Green Spring produced flax, fruits, potash, rice, silk, and spirits, which were shipped to markets in North America, the West Indies, Great Britain, and Holland.

Green Spring Plantation witnessed many historic events, including the beginnings of slavery in Virginia, Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, the Battle of Green Spring during the American Revolutionary War in 1781, the granting of their freedom to its slaves in 1803, and the nearby Battle of Williamsburg in 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. A second mansion on the site was burned during the Civil War.

In modern times, about 200 acres (0.8 km²) of the original plantation are preserved by the National Park Service (NPS) as part of the Colonial National Historical Park, which acquired the property in 1966. The site includes archaeological and architectural remnants of the manor house and ancillary structures. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 1978.

With archaeological work underway, plans call for construction of a parking lot, a small reception center, water and sewer facilities, and a network of trails, planned to be opened by 2008. The project at Green Spring Plantation is supported by NPS partners, Friends of the National Park Service for Green Spring, Inc. and James City County.