Tuckahoe, also known as Tuckahoe Plantation, is located on Route 650 near Manakin, Virginia overlapping both Goochland and Henrico counties, six miles from the town of the same name. Built in the first half of the 18th century, it is a well-preserved example of a colonial plantation house, and is particularly distinctive as a colonial prodigy house. Thomas Jefferson is also recorded as having spent some of his childhood here. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1969.
Video Tuckahoe (plantation)
History
Construction of the home began by Thomas Randolph around 1714. William Randolph, Thomas' son, built a two-story, four room home in 1733 around the existing structure. This wing features pine and black walnut paneling with exquisite carvings and moldings. William then added a center hall and south wing, creating a unique "H"-shaped, which were completed by 1740. William and his wife, Maria Judith Page, had three children, two daughters, and a son, but his wife died in 1744. William Randolph's cousin Jane married Peter Jefferson, and they were close friends. Before William Randolph died in 1745, he added a codicil to his will asking that Peter Jefferson come to Tuckahoe Plantation and care for his three orphaned children until his son Thomas Mann Randolph came of age. The Jeffersons moved from Shadwell in Charlottesville to Tuckahoe Plantation with their three daughters and two-year-old son Thomas. While at Tuckahoe, Jane Randolph Jefferson gave birth to three more children of whom the two sons (both named Peter) died in infancy. The Jeffersons and Randolph orphans lived together in the "H" shape home until 1752. During the seven years of the Jefferson residency, young Thomas was tutored in a one-room schoolhouse with his sisters and Randolph cousins. Peter Jefferson directed the activities of the plantation and its seven overseers, "retaining a connection to the estate" even after he returned to his own plantation of Shadwell.
In 1792, Thomas Mann Randolph III was born (not to be confused with his half-brother, Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. who was born in 1768). To the dismay of Randolph Jr., Randolph III (also called "the imposter") inherited Tuckahoe and kept the plantation until 1820. Since then, it has continued to be privately owned. The house is currently occupied by owner/manager Addison B. Thompson and his wife Susan. The grounds are open for self-guided tours. The house is open for private tours by appointment and may also be rented for private events.
Maps Tuckahoe (plantation)
Exterior
The two-story wood structure sits in its original spot, the only Randolph home to not be relocated. The structure forms an "H," with wings mirroring each other and connected by a central corridor. The entrances to the house are reached by flights of stairs and two porches. The stoop is covered by a projected pediment supported by simple wooden posts and is framed by a wooden railing. To either side of the entrance is a pair of windows as well as a central window over the entrance, each with dark shutters. Each two-sashed window contains 9 panes of glass. The gabled roof rests on a simple cornice line with dentil moldings. A large brick chimney rises from either side of the home.
The grounds around the house include outbuildings: the schoolhouse where Thomas Jefferson was educated, a kitchen house, three slave quarters, smokehouse, storehouse, stable, and the cemeteries of the Randolph, Wight, and current Ball/Thompson families.
References
Further reading
- Masson, Kathryn and Brooke, Steven (photographer); Historic Houses of Virginia: Great Plantation Houses, Mansions, and Country Places; Rizzoli International Publications; New York City, New York; 2006
External links
- Media related to Tuckahoe Plantation at Wikimedia Commons
- Tuckahoe Plantation Website
- Tuckahoe, at National Park Service
- James River Plantations, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Tuckahoe, Goochland County, 4 photos at Virginia DHR
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. VA-712, "Tuckahoe Plantation, River Road, Richmond vicinity, Manakin vicinity, Goochland County, VA", 8 measured drawings
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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