Greenway Plantation

Greenway
Greenway
Location: Greenway, Charles City County, Virginia
Built: 1775
Architectural style: Colonial
Governing body: Private
NRHP Reference#: 69000336
Added to NRHP: November 12, 1969[1]

Greenway Plantation is a wood-frame, one-and-a-half-story plantation house that stands on the north side of Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Located just west of the Charles City Courthouse, it is one of Charles City's earliest and most distinctive Colonial plantations and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

Physical description

The plantation comprises approximately 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) and consists of several outbuildings in addition to the main house. The frame structures have beaded clapboard siding and wood-covered gable rooflines. The main structure is symmetrical in its front, southern facade and possesses the end chimneys so characteristic of southern Colonial structures.[2] It has a unique T-Shaped plan and the brick foundation walls are constructed mainly of Flemish bond, with the exception of a few areas where an English brick bond is possible evidence of additions.

History

Greenway was built circa 1776 by Judge John Tyler, Sr., the father of president John Tyler. Future President Tyler was born here in 1790. When Judge Tyler died in 1813, John Tyler at the age of 23 inherited Greenway and lived there until age 39 (1829), when he sold the plantation and moved to nearby Sherwood Forest. Although its architecture is of significant import, the historical figures associated with the structure provide the greatest argument for the plantation's historic integrity.

Present use

The current plantation is privately owned and maintained. The structures have remained well-preserved over the years with little alteration.

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  2. ^ Katie Kelley, Architectural Historian, Historic Richmond Foundation