historic places u.s. national historic landmark virginia landmarks register westover from the front river side location 7 mi . w of charles city on va 5 charles city county virginia united states of america coordinates 37 18 40 n 77 8 58 w 37.31111 n 77.14944 w 37.31111 ; 77.14944 coordinates 37 18 40 n 77 8 58 w 37.31111 n 77.14944 w 37.31111 ; 77.14944 area 1 025 acres 4.15 km2 built c. 1750 architect unknown architectural style georgian nrhp reference 66000923 1 vlr 018 0027 significant dates added to nrhp october 15 1966 designated nhl october 9 1960 3 designated vlr september 9 1969 2 westover plantation is located on the north bank of the james river in charles city county virginia . it is located south of state route 5 a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of richmond and williamsburg . it is a us national historic landmark . contents 1 history 2 architecture 3 see also 4 references 5 external links history edit sir john pawlett by deeds of lease and release demised most of westover plantation in 1665 to theodorick bland of westover for 170 . 4 bland lived on the property until his death in 1671 and was buried in the chancel of the original westover church which he helped build . 5 his eldest son theodorick inherited the land and joined with his brother richard in its ownership . 4 the brothers eventually conveyed 1 200 acres of the property to william byrd i in 1688 for 300 and 10 000 pounds of tobacco and cask . 4 6 it is notable for its 18th century and later history when the mansion westover plantation was built in the georgian style . it was considered the seat of the william byrd family in virginia . william byrd ii the founder of richmond was thought to have built the mansion c. 1730 . this date was part of the 1960 designation of the house as a national historic landmark . however recent dendrochronologic testing on boards and planks in the house showed that they dated to the 1750s . the house was thus probably built and first occupied by william byrd iii not his father . the revised construction date has been recognized by the national park service . 6 like the other plantations along the james river westover was first devoted to the cultivation of tobacco the major commodity of colonial tidewater virginia . the byrd family depended on the labor of hundreds of enslaved africans as tobacco was a labor intensive crop . the original grounds included slave quarters and slaves served also as domestic servants and skilled artisans of many types . as tobacco cultivation exhausted the soil in the 19th century planters shifted to mixed crops . interior view downward in main stairway westover plantation . during the american civil war westover was used as headquarters of the union fifth corps and one of the wings burned during this time . 7 in the early 20th century the estate was acquired by united states diplomat richard teller crane ii who restored the mansion and grounds . the site was damaged by hurricane isabel in 2003 . ten feet of riverbank a 250 year old road and a 150 year old poplar from the south lawn were lost to the river during the storm . 3 architecture edit the house is noteworthy for its secret passages symmetry and balance of proportions magnificent gardens and architectural details . the grounds and garden are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily but the house is not open to the public . see also edit list of james river plantations references edit national park service 2006 03 15 . national register information system . national register of historic places . national park service . virginia landmarks register . virginia department of historic resources . retrieved 5 june 2013 . a b westover . national historic landmark summary listing . national park service . retrieved 2008 06 27 . a b c tyler lyon g. january 1896 . title of westover . william and mary college quarterly historical magazine . 4 3 151 155 . retrieved december 11 2010 . bland theodorick 1840 . appendix . in campbell charles . the bland papers being a selection from the manuscripts of colonel theodorick bland jr. of prince george county virginia . i. petersburg virginia edmund & julian c. ruffin . pp. 145 149 . a b westover james river plantations national park service accessed 9 december 2010 the gentry james river plantations national park service travel itineraries accessed 9 december 2010 external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to westover plantation . official website westover james river plantations national park service westover virginia s james river plantations listing in national historic landmarks website student account of a visit to westover journals college of william and mary westover state route 633 westover charles city va 73 photos 8 measured drawings 15 color transparencies 5 data pages and 6 photo caption pages at historic american buildings survey westover office building state route 633 charles city charles city va 3 photos and 1 photo caption page at historic american buildings survey westover kitchen building state route 633 charles city charles city va 2 photos and 1 photo caption page at historic american buildings survey westover tool shed state route 633 charles city charles city va 2 photos and 1 photo caption page at historic american buildings survey v t e james river plantations north bank belle air berkeley carter s grove curles neck edgewood evelynton green spring north bend southall richneck sherwood forest shirley varina farms westover south bank appomattox manor bacon s castle chippokes flowerdew hundred lower brandon smith s fort upper brandon v t e u.s. national register of historic places in virginia lists by county accomack albemarle alleghany amelia amherst appomattox arlington augusta bath bedford bland botetourt brunswick buchanan buckingham campbell caroline carroll charles city charlotte chesterfield clarke craig culpeper cumberland dickenson dinwiddie essex fairfax county fauquier floyd fluvanna franklin county frederick giles gloucester goochland grayson greene greensville halifax hanover henrico henry highland isle of wight james city king and queen king george king william lancaster lee loudoun louisa lunenburg madison mathews mecklenburg middlesex montgomery nelson new kent northampton northumberland nottoway orange page patrick pittsylvania powhatan prince edward prince george prince william pulaski rappahannock richmond county roanoke county rockbridge rockingham russell scott shenandoah smyth southampton spotsylvania stafford surry sussex tazewell warren washington westmoreland wise wythe york lists by city alexandria bristol buena vista charlottesville chesapeake colonial heights covington danville emporia fairfax falls church franklin fredericksburg galax hampton harrisonburg hopewell lexington lynchburg manassas manassas park martinsville newport news norfolk norton petersburg poquoson portsmouth radford richmond roanoke salem staunton suffolk virginia beach waynesboro williamsburg winchester other lists bridges national historic landmarks keeper of the register history of the national register of historic places property types historic district contributing property retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title westover plantation & oldid 722564764 categories historic american buildings survey in virginiahouses on the national register of historic places in virginiahouses in charles city county virginiajames river plantationsnational historic landmarks in virginiabyrd family of virginiageorgian architecture in virginianational register of historic places in charles city county virginiatobacco in the united stateshidden categories coordinates on wikidatacommons category with page title same as on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version in other projects wikimedia commons languages fran aisnederlands edit links this page was last modified on 28 may 2016 at 23 58 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie statement mobile view