Shirley | |
 Main house of Shirley Plantation, July 2006 | |
   | |
| Location | 5 mi. N of Hopewell off VA 608, Hopewell, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°20′31″N 77°15′39″W / 37.34194°N 77.26083°W |
| Built | circa 1723 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000328 [1] |
| VLR No. | 018-0022 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 1, 1969 |
| Designated NHL | April 15, 1970[3] |
| Designated VLR | November 5, 1968[2] |
Shirley Plantation is an estate on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is located on scenic byway State Route 5, between Richmond and Williamsburg. It is the oldest active plantation in Virginia, settled in 1613 and is also the oldest family-owned business in North America, when it was acquired by the Hill family, with operations starting in 1638. [4] White indentured servants were initially used as the main labor force until the early 1700s, when black slavery became the primary source of Virginian labor.[5] It used about 70 to 90 African slaves at a time for plowing the fields, cleaning, childcare, and cooking. It was added to the National Register in 1969 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970. After the acquisition, rebranding, and merger of Tuttle Farm in Dover, New Hampshire, Shirley Plantation received the title of the oldest business continuously operating in the United States.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ "Shirley". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
- ^ McCormack, Kathy (August 2, 2010). "After 378 years, NH family farm goes up for sale" (Press release). Dover, New Hampshire. Associated Press. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ https://historicshirley.com/history/