Scotchtown

Richmond Times-Dispatch Archives

Published: September 17, 2008

Check our photos
of Scotchtown, home of Patrick Henry.

Scotchtown: 16120 Chiswell Lane, Beaverdam (state Routes 54 to 671 to 685 in Hanover County). Home of Patrick Henry 1771-1778. Restored manor house furnished with 18th-century antiques. Open April-Oct., 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday; or by appointment.

Info: Cost: $4-7. Call: 227-3500 or apva.org/scotchtown/

HISTORY
Patrick Henry slept here
Scotchtown houses ‘important piece of history’
By Janet Caggiano - Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

Patrick Henry rode on horseback from his Scotchtown home to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond’s Church Hill in 1774 to deliver his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech.

Two years later, still residing in Hanover County, Henry was elected the first governor of Virginia. Despite its rich history, Scotchtown remains a mystery to many local residents. The restored two-story home just west of Ashland is filled with artifacts and furnishings from Henry’s time.

“This is where one of the most important Americans lived during one of the most important periods in American history,“ said Catherine Dean, curator of collections for the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, which runs Scotchtown.

Scotchtown is one of the oldest Virginia plantation houses. Charles Chiswell of Williamsburg built it on 9,976 acres. The land was deeded to him in 1717, but it is not known when the house was built, Dean said.

Henry lived at Scotchtown with his first wife, Sarah, and six children from 1771 to 1778. The 940 acres he purchased included several outbuildings, which have been reconstructed. A kitchen, icehouse and laundry (used as orientation space) are shaded under large trees behind the home. The wellhouse has been capped with modern brick.

The kitchen, complete with a hearth for cooking, is stocked with supplies. On tables are candles, salt, bread and goose eggs. A fluting iron would have been used to smooth wrinkled ruffles.

Rooms in the main house are filled with artifacts. Some were Henry’s personal possessions: a Chinese porcelain punch bowl, on a table in the formal dining room, and a map table large enough to accommodate fold-out maps, in his bedchamber.

“We don’t have a lot of Henry’s personal items because when he died, his family had an estate sale,“ Dean said. “Henry’s belongings were dispersed.“

The house also features a family dining room, children’s bedroom, parlor and daughter Patsy’s bedroom. Curators are not sure about the exact layout of the house.

“Scotchtown is a curatorial puzzle,“ Dean said. “Because it was such an active time in American history, [Henry] wasn’t really keeping good records on the type of furniture he used or the food they bought.“

But some details are known. Henry was a huge fan of music and played several instruments. The parlor showcases a piano and violin from the time. The room has been set up with a table for tea, something that would have been done when one of Patsy’s suitors came calling.

The children’s bedroom features a mosaic quilt. The piece was made by the daughters of John Mosby Sheppard. Sheppard purchased the home around 1800.

Across the hall, in the Henry bedroom, an 18th-century wig made of horse, yak and goat hair is displayed on a nightstand. A corner chair, similar to the one that Henry died in, is pulled close to a desk.

An adjoining room has been set up as a commissary, complete with soap and salt. A survey map of the land surrounding the house hangs on the back wall. It was completed by J.D.G. Brown in 1820.

The cellar runs the width of the house and includes agricultural tools and a spinning wheel. One area was probably used as a wine cellar, Dean said. Another room has been interpreted as the area where Sarah Henry might have been confined. She suffered from mental illness, but her husband refused to commit her to an institution.

“Visitors are always amazed because they thought she lived in a terrible dungeon or something,“ said Bob Crane, a part-time docent. “But she was never in some hellhole. You can tell Patrick Henry loved his wife.“

Sarah, Crane said, was an unsung heroine. She died in February 1775. A month later, her widower delivered his “Give me liberty” speech.

“She could have been the driving force,“ Crane said.

Henry married his second wife, Dorothea Dandridge, in 1777 and moved to the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg. Scotchtown was sold in 1778, and the property exchanging hands several times until the Sheppard family moved in in 1801. Sheppard descendants lived there until 1958, when it was sold at auction. The house and 40 acres were later transferred to the APVA for $17,000.

Scotchtown has been renovated several times. Additions to the structure have been removed so that the home looks as it did when Henry lived there.

“It is vital that Scotchtown be preserved so others can continue to learn,“ Dean said. “Place is so important to understanding the past. Without an understanding of the past, what good are we for the future?“
[Credit:

Times-Dispatch archives, Sept. 2005]