Midddlesex County Museum & Historical Society House Tour and Reception
October 17, 2021 @ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Locust Grove Farm sits along the shores of the Rappahannock River on land forever protected by a conservation easement, welcoming friends and family as it has for many generations. The farm dates back at least to the middle of the 17th century. While the acreage of the farm has shrunk in the intervening years, the property still has one of the longest shorelines in Middlesex County. The farmhouse was probably expanded to its current footprint in the mid 18th century, during the period (1736-1787) when it was owned by John Robinson, son of Christopher Robinson II of Hewick. Robinson’s will referred to the house as the “Home Plantation”; his 19th century descendants may have been the ones who chose the name “Locust Grove,” because of the numerous locust trees on the farm. Locust Grove is of post and beam construction with a gambrel roof; Historic Buildings in Middlesex County Virginia 1650-1875 identifies only four other pre-Revolutionary structures in Middlesex with a similar roof design: the Gressitt House, Hampstead, Wilton, and Woodbine. The house is designed for summer heat. It is situated parallel to the river for cross ventilation, and the central hall and living room have 11 ½ foot ceilings. The wainscoting on the first floor is composed of single boards of 20” width. Native Indian artifacts that have been discovered on the property will be on display as well as a copy of the Jefferson map to show the Robinson land on which the home sits. The large upstairs bedroom would have provided space for multiple sleepers in a single room. Philip Morgan’s book A Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in Eighteenth Century Chesapeake and Low Country suggested that such bedrooms were often used by both free and enslaved persons.
The Middlesex County Museum & Historical Society invites you to a tour of the home on Sunday, October 17 from 1 to 5 PM. Tickets are $20 and maybe purchased at the museum located at 777 General Puller Highway Saluda VA (please check the museum website, middlesexmuseum.com for hours) or by logging onto the museum website. Light refreshments will be served
Organizer
Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society
Midddlesex County Museum & Historical Society House Tour and Reception
October 17, 2021 @ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Locust Grove Farm sits along the shores of the Rappahannock River on land forever protected by a conservation easement, welcoming friends and family as it has for many generations. The farm dates back at least to the middle of the 17th century. While the acreage of the farm has shrunk in the intervening years, the property still has one of the longest shorelines in Middlesex County. The farmhouse was probably expanded to its current footprint in the mid 18th century, during the period (1736-1787) when it was owned by John Robinson, son of Christopher Robinson II of Hewick. Robinson’s will referred to the house as the “Home Plantation”; his 19th century descendants may have been the ones who chose the name “Locust Grove,” because of the numerous locust trees on the farm. Locust Grove is of post and beam construction with a gambrel roof; Historic Buildings in Middlesex County Virginia 1650-1875 identifies only four other pre-Revolutionary structures in Middlesex with a similar roof design: the Gressitt House, Hampstead, Wilton, and Woodbine. The house is designed for summer heat. It is situated parallel to the river for cross ventilation, and the central hall and living room have 11 ½ foot ceilings. The wainscoting on the first floor is composed of single boards of 20” width. Native Indian artifacts that have been discovered on the property will be on display as well as a copy of the Jefferson map to show the Robinson land on which the home sits. The large upstairs bedroom would have provided space for multiple sleepers in a single room. Philip Morgan’s book A Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in Eighteenth Century Chesapeake and Low Country suggested that such bedrooms were often used by both free and enslaved persons.
The Middlesex County Museum & Historical Society invites you to a tour of the home on Sunday, October 17 from 1 to 5 PM. Tickets are $20 and maybe purchased at the museum located at 777 General Puller Highway Saluda VA (please check the museum website, middlesexmuseum.com for hours) or by logging onto the museum website. Light refreshments will be served
Organizer
