Greenway Plantation

Greenway
Greenway
Location Greenway, Charles City County, Virginia
Coordinates 37°21′15″N 77°6′6″W / 37.35417°N 77.10167°WCoordinates: 37°21′15″N 77°6′6″W / 37.35417°N 77.10167°W
Area 0 acres (0 ha)
Built 1775
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 69000336[1]
VLR # 018-0010
Significant dates
Added to NRHP November 12, 1969
Designated VLR September 9, 1969[2]

Greenway Plantation is a wood-frame, 1 1/2-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. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.[1]

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.[3] 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.[4]

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 Plantation. 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. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Katie Kelley, Architectural Historian, Historic Richmond Foundation
  4. ↑ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission (August 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Greenway". and Accompanying photo

External links