Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 07/06/1971
NRHP Listing Date 11/11/1971
NHL Listing Date 04/13/1972
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 71001040
One of America’s most historic estates, Berkeley was originally settled in 1619 as Berkeley Hundred but was wiped out in the Indian uprising of 1622. The Charles City County property was purchased by the Harrison family in 1691. The present mansion, built in 1726 by Benjamin Harrison IV, is among the earliest of the great Georgian plantation dwellings that became the foci of colonial Virginia’s economic, cultural, and social life. Berkeley was the birthplace of Harrison’s son Benjamin Harrison V, signer of the Declaration of Independence. His son William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States, also was born at Berkeley. Berkeley was pillaged by Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War and was occupied by the Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan in 1862. Restored by its long-time owner, the late Malcolm Jamieson, the plantation is now a much visited historic attraction.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: December 22, 2021
