Rosewell (plantation)

Rosewell
Ruins of Rosewell.
Rosewell (plantation) is located in Virginia
Rosewell (plantation)
Rosewell (plantation) is located in the United States
Rosewell (plantation)
LocationRosewell, HABS Photo
Coordinates37°19′40″N 76°34′35″W / 37.32778°N 76.57639°W / 37.32778; -76.57639
Area9.9 acres (4.0 ha)
Built1725 (1725)
NRHP reference No.69000244[1]
VLR No.036-0041
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 1, 1969
Designated VLRNovember 5, 1968[2]

Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County, Virginia, was for more than 100 years the home of a branch of the Page family, one of the First Families of Virginia. Begun in 1725, the Flemish bond brick Rosewell mansion overlooking the York River was one of the most elaborate homes in the American colonies.

In Mansions of Virginia, the architectural historian Thomas Tileston Waterman described the plantation house as "the largest and finest of American houses of the colonial period."[3] Through much of the 18th century and 19th centuries, and during the American Civil War, Rosewell plantation hosted the area's most elaborate formal balls and celebrations. The home burned in 1916.

In 1793, the Page family sold part of the Rosewell plantation to the Catlett family, who erected a house called "Timberneck", which still stands inside Virginia's 40th state park, Machicomico State Park.[4] The Timberneck house, like Rosewell, has been the subject of archeological excavations, but unlike Rosewell, is being renovated by the Fairfield Foundation and volunteers, pursuant to an agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia which envisions future lodging opportunities within the historic structure.[5]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  3. ^ "Historic Rosewell Remains Touch Gloucester Residents". The Daily Press. March 20, 1991. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  4. ^ "Machicomoco State Park".
  5. ^ "Timberneck". fairfieldfoundation.org. Retrieved September 8, 2024.