Form 10.300 UNITED STATE5 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR S T A T E ; l J d y 19691 NATlONAL P A R K SERVICE VIRGINIA

Du+a*,L\Qkc ,"A,,. ' S bank of Appomattox River, .4 mi. W of R t . 10. ClTY OR T 3 W N :

NATIONAL REGISTER O F HISTORIC PLACES I C O Y N T Y .

INVENTORY - HOMIUATION FORM

( T y p e all entries - complete nlaplirable sections)

HOPEWETAT, ( i n c i f . ) F O R NPS USE QMLY

E N T R Y N U M B E R D A T C

I rr

I Hopewe 11 (Wa tkins M. Abbi t; t , Congressman, Fourth District)

I

!4. OWNER OF PROPERTY SEE CONTmLhTIOX 'SHEET (OWNER' S NAME: VI I 1 4

11. N A M E 1 COMMON: I

/3+

t Ray R. Rroyhill S T R E E T A N D N U M H E R '

a D i s t r ~ c t a ~ ~ i l d i ~ ~

C Sitc Sfrucrcrs

u Object

/ Broyhill Auto Service Center; Randolph Roed and Poythress t l T Y O R TOWN: 1 5 7 A T E .

1 S T A T E

Virginia

p R E S E N T US E (Check One or >lor@ as Approprlsfel

G Agricultural Q Government a Park Ttanspbrratien 0 Commsnts

G Commercial 2 Industrial Private Rssidsnca 0 other (Sper lhr )

R Educahonal a MI l i ta ry u R e l ~ g i o u s

a Entertainment a Museum ,x Sciantif ic

Public Acquisition: Occupied

a In P r o ~ s s s i Un~ccupisd 0 Baing Gonsrdvrad @ Pr~,mrwo,lon work p

i n progress

El Public

91 Prrvota

0 Both

Hopewe L 1 - -- - . - - < - -. Virgin ia 5 1 I 1

rl

Y e s :

Restricted

[J Unrsrtrictad

@

Prince George County Court House STNEE T AND N U M B E R

r- C I T Y O R TOWN: S T A T E

I i

51

Pr-&ce George V i r g i n i a IN EXISTING SURVEYS -- -.

\ T I T L E O F S l t R V E Y :

C b V N T Y . C O D E

(in cit.) " <

j 670 CLASS! f /CATION

1 Virginia H i s t o r i c Landmarks C ~ w s s i ~ f l 1 [ S T R E S T A N m N U M D C F I .

CATEGORY I OWNERSHIP

0

C ( T Y OR T O W N : S f A T E . I - ! CODE I : <

Richmond Virgin ia I 51 2

STAT US I ACCEII IBLEY

(Check Olro) I T d f H f PUBLIC

0 Exce l l en t El Good Foir O Datsriorotad 0 R u i n s U CONDITION k --

(Check One) I (Check One)

U Altered a Unaltered a Moved original Site

D E I C R l S E T H E P R E S E N T A N D O R l C l N A L ( I f know") P H Y S I C A L hPPEARLNCE

Weston Manor s t ands near the western edge of Hopewell i n a grove of t r e e s on the bank o f t h e Appomattox River. Although t h e f i e l d s on the land s i d e of the house have been b u i l t up i n an apartment complex, t h e house ' ; immediate surroundings remain undis t rubed. Also nndis turbed i s t h e handsome prospect of the wooded oppos i te sho re of t h e Appomattox. None of Weston Manor's ou tbu i ld ings remain, nor is t h e r e any i n d i c a t i o n where they s tood.

The house i t s e l f i s a t y p i c a l V i rg in i a Georgian form - a two-stor: r ec t angu la r block covered by a hipped roo f . Both t h e land and r i v e r f r o n t s a r e f i v e bays i n l eng th and have c e n t e r doors . The f i r s t s t o r y windows have nine-over-nine s a s h wh i l e t h e second have n ine-over-s ix wi th t h e genera l pro- po r t ions of t h e openings being diminished. A l l t h e windows a r e supported on f i n e l y molded s i l l s . The en t r ances on e i t h e r s i d e a r e s h e l t e r e d by smal l porches. The porch on t h e r i v e r f r o n t appa ren t ly r ep laces a n e a r l i e r one, and i s a somewhat crude Greek Revival form wi th four square columns. The pedimented land f r o n t porch appears t o be o r i g i n a l . The o r i g i n a l turned p i l a s t e r s on t h i s porch a r e preserved b u t t h e corresponding turned p o s t s have been replaced by two square columns. The roof is p ierced by four in- t e r i o r end chimneys wi th corbe led caps and is surrounded a t i t s base by a f i n e modi l l ion co rn ice . A photograph of t h e house taken dur ing t h e C i v i l War shows t h e roof covered by wood s h i n g l e s but t h e s e have been replaced by s h e e t metal. The house s t a n d s on b r i c k foundat ion l a i d i n English bond. The basement can be en te red from t h e e a s t s i d e o f t h e house through a gabled bulkhead. Except f o r t h e minor changes i n the porches, t h e l o s s o f t h e wood sh ing le roo f , and t h e l o s s of t h e paneled s h u t t e r s , the e x t e r i o r of Weston Manor remains amazingly una l t e red . The house r e t a i n s n e a r l y a l l o f i ts o r i g i n a l sash a s w e l l a s i ts deeply undercut beaded clapboarding.

The i n t e r i o r , l i k e t h e e x t e r i o r i s e s s e n t i a l l y una l t e red . The c e n t r a l h a l l ex tends t h e depth of t h e house and i s d iv ided i n t h e middle by a l a r g e , s emi -c i r cu la r a r c h supported on p i l a s t e r s . The hal l . i s a l s o embel- l i s h e d wi th f l a t paneled wainscot ing and d e n t i l e d co rn ice . The s t a i r is loca ted i n a n e l l o f f t h e southwest co rne r of t h e h a l l . I t ascends f o r one- t h i r d of i t s l eng th a g a i n s t t h e south e x t e r i o r w a l l then curves i n a t i g h t 180 degree t u r n t o reach t h e second f l o o r c . intra1 h a l l . The s t a i r has a r a i l i n g of square b a l u s t e r s and rounded h a n d r a i l t h a t s p i r a l s a t the bottom s t e p .

The p l an of the second f l o o r i s i d e n t i c a l t o t h e f i r s t , having t w rooms on both s i d e s of t h e h a l l . Most of the o r i g i n a l mantels on both f l o o r a r e preserved. The most i n t e r e s t i n g i s i n t h e northwest f i r s t f l o o r room

has a c o r n i c e s h e l f and f r i e z e supported on s top - f lu t ed p i l a s t e r s , the being i n s e t i n a somewhat c rude pedimented aed icu la . Both t h e f i r s t

f l o o r rooms on t h e house ' s n o r t h s i d e have chimney c l o s e t s f i l l i n g s i d e of the r e s p e c t i v e chimney b r e a s t s .

Although Weston Manor r e t a i n s n e a r l y a l l o f i ts o r i g i n a l f a b r i c , i n only a f a i r s t a t e of r e p a i r . At t h e p resen t time i t is

e i n g used by t h e owners a s inexpensive r e n t a l proper ty .

IGNIFICANCE . .. -- .- PERIOD (Check Onr or More aa ApproprlatcJ

Pra-Columbion l 0 16th Century gl 18th Century 0 20,h Century

15th Century 0 17th Century 19th Century

5 p E C l F l C DI \TEISI ( I 1 Applicable andKnolvnJ

REA AS OF SIGN, F I C ~ N C E (Check On* or More o a Approprlale)

Abor igin.1 Educotoon 0 Political Urbon Plonning

n ~ ~ ~ h i ~ t ~ ~ i ~ Enpinoaring Religion/Phi. 0 Other (spaclly)

0 Histor ic Industry Iosophy

Agrisullurs Invention Science

@ Architecture Landscaps 0 Sculpture

A r t Architecture Sociol/Humon-

Commerce L i taroture itorion

Communications & Mil i tary 0 Thsota.

Conservation Music O Tronrportation

I T A T E M E N T O F S I G N I F I C A N C E

Weston Manor is a n e x c e l l e n t example of Late-Georgian p l a n t a t i o a r c h i t e c t u r e , and i s one of the few p l a n t a t i o n houses l e f t on the h i s t o r i c lower Appomattox River. Its simple r ec t angu la r form wi th hipped roof i l l u s t r a t e s t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l conservat ism t h a t p e r s i s t e d i n r u r a l sou ths ide Vi rg in i a fol lowing t h e Revolution. The a r c h i t e c t u r a l i n t e r e s t o f t h e house is enhanced by t h e f a c t t h a t n e a r l y a l l the o r i g i n a l f a b r i c is i n t a c t , and t h a t no s t r u c t u r a l a l t e r a t i o n s have taken p lace . I t is unusual t h a t such a f i n e and imposing house should have remained gene ra l ly unknown t o most Virg in ians . L i t t l e , i f anyth ing , has ever been w r i t t e n about t h e house; i t has been included i n no h i s t o r i c s i te surveys of V i r g i n i a , and no photographs of i t have been published. That i ts e x i s t e n c e should have remained unnoticed f o r s o long is even more s u r p r i s i n g s i n c e t h e house i s loca ted s o nea r t h e s t a t e ' s major popula t ion c e n t e r .

Weston Manor s t ands on land o r g i n a l l y pa tented i n 1637 by John Baker. The land remained i n t h e Baker family u n t i l 1668. I n 1723 the proper ty w a s owned by John Hooley, and i n t h e l a t t e r p a r t o f t h e cen tu ry i t was acqui red by William Gi l l i am and h i s w i fe , C h r i s t i n e Eppes Gi l l iam. The G i l l i a m s e r e c t e d t h e p r e s e n t house probably i n t h e 1780's . Tne e a r l i e s t w r i t t e n record of t h e G i l l i a m ' s house is a n 1804 l e t t e r w r i t t e n from Weston Manor by Mrs. Gi l l i am t o h e r b r o t h e r a t Pr ince ton College.

During t h e War between t h e S t a t e s t h e house was s h e l l e d by a Northern gunboat, and i n the l a t t e r p a r t of t h e w a r , when nearby C i ty Poin t harbor was be ing used t o supply t roops engaged i n the s e i g e of Pe tersburg , the house was occupied by Northern o f f i c e r s among whom was General P h i l l i p Sheridan. I n 1869 Weston Manor was bought from t h e Gi l l i am family by P h i l l i p Dolin of I r e l a n d and New York Ci ty . The Dolin family r e t a i n e d ownership of t h e house and surrounding farmlands f o r t h e remainder of the n ine teen th century . Following t h e DuPont development of nearby Hopewell, Weston Manor's lands were g radua l ly s o l d o f f s o t h a t t h e house is now encroached upon by housing developments. A movement t o p rese rve t h e house and a p o r t i o n o f i ts s e t t i n g is c u r r e n t l y underway.

19. 4AJOR BlBLlOGRAPHlCAL REFERENCES

1

I FILES OF V I R G I N I A HISTORIC TANDMARKS COMMISSION

I I S T A T E : CODE COUNTY:

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I S T A T E :

I I S T A T E : CODE COUNTY:

L I T l T U O E A N 0 L O N G I T U D E C O O R D I N A T E S

DEFlNlNG A R E C T A N G L E L O C A T I N G THE P R O P E R T Y

* P P R O X I M I T E A C R E A G E O F N O M I N A T E D P R O P E R T Y - 3 a c r e s L l S T A L L S T A T E S I N D C O U N T I E S F O R P R O P E R T I E S O V E R L A P P I N G S T I T E OR COUNT" 8OUNOARIES

S T I \ T E CODE COUNTY CODE

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L A T I T U D E

Depress M8nutes Seconds

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L O N G I T U D E

Dopress Mtnutes Seconds 0

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Virg in ia H i s t o r i c Landmarks Cormnission S t a f f , James W. Moody, Jr., Di rec to r O R G A N I Z * T I O N I D A T E

Room 1116, Ninth S t r e e t S t a t e OfficeBuilding C l T I OR TOWN

Z S T A T E

V) Richmond Virg in ia

112. STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTIFICA I ION I NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION

-- ---- .. L A T I T U D E A N D L O N G I T U D E C O O R O I N I T F S

D E F I N I N G T H E CENTER POINT OF A P R O P E R T Y O F L E S S T H A N TFN A C R E S

n --I

Virgin ia H i s t o r i c Landmarks Commission

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na-

tional Historic Preservation Act of 19h6 (Public L a w

89.665). 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion

tn the Notional Register and cerlify that i t has been

evaluated according to the criteria end procedores set

forth by the National Park Service. The recommended

level of significance of this nomination is:

National 0 State '@ Locsl

L I T l T V O E

Degrees M~nutes Seconds

37 18 ' 31 '

Name I1

L O N G I T U D E

Depress Mnnutas Seconds

77 18 ' 1 6 -

August 9 , 1971

James W. Moody, Jr. , Di rec to r Va. H i s t o r i c Iandmarks Commission

- S T R E E T A N D NUMBER:

Date I

0

I hereby certify that th is property is included in the

National Register.

Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation

Date

ATTEST:

Keeper of The N s t i m e l Register

Form 10-300. U N I T E D STATES D E P A R T M E N T O F T H E INTERIOR (July 1969) N A T I O N A L PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

(Continuation Sheet) ENTRYNUMBER

Mr. Thomas J . Broyhill c / o American Realty Trust Company 2000 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, Virginia

Joel T. Broyhill Congressman 10th D i s t r i c t Washington, D . C .