Charles City

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Shirley Plantation Tour

More Photos
two cruisers
two cruisers
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
Photos
Editor Pick

Shirley Plantation

  • November 28, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by two cruisers from Ames, Iowa
Shirley Plantation

Shirley Plantation was founded in 1613 and the present mansion was built in 1723. The original land was given to a man named West. Since that name is prominent in directional names he named his property West Shirley, using his wife’s maiden name. Eventually the West part was dropped because it just confused the issue. In 1660 it became the property of Edward Hill whose descendents served in the House of Burgess, and built this mansion as a wedding gift for a daughter who married into Virginia’s famous Carter family. Among the guests at Shirley over the centuries were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Tyler, Teddy Roosevelt and John Rockefeller. Robert E. Lee’s parents were married in the parlor. The mansion is situated right on the river so there is no front and back door; they are called drive side and dock side.

Shirley is a brick building that is basically a 48-foot cube. When the family grew, and it most certainly grew, identical flanking buildings were added for extra bedroom space. These buildings have since been destroyed. The original dependency buildings remain and following the symmetrical dictates have a two story large kitchen building on one side of the present entry lane, and an identical building across the lane that served as the laundry. Further down the lane are identical buildings for icehouse and storehouse.

Our tour guide of the main house was an enthusiastic and well-informed young woman. You could tell she really respected the building and its history. The tour started in the entry hall, which was one of the largest rooms on the main floor. This most interesting aspect of the house is the architectural treasure that rises from this hallway. The stairway rises three stories without visible means of support and is the only one of its kind in America. It is used daily as the owners live on the second and third floor, (they have a modern kitchen and laundry in the basement) and there is no elevator. Our tour was restricted to the first floor where we visited the parlor, dining room and master bedroom. The walls colors have been researched and restored to the original deep creamy buff color. Functional interior window shutters are used daily. We saw many fine pieces of furniture and portraits of family members. I had to laugh at the etched windows in the dining room. An early Carter daughter upon becoming engaged tested her diamond by scratching her initials in the windowpane. That became a family tradition.

Shirley was spared from destruction during the Civil War because the women of Shirley nursed wounded Yankee soldiers camped on their lawn. They also wrote letters for them and generally displayed kindness. General McClelland posted a notice and left a guard stating that this house was to be spared.

A small gift shop is located in the laundry building. Admission was $19 for two seniors.

From journal Plantation Hopping

Compare Charles City Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Charles City Travel Deals