Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/19/1969
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1966
NHL Listing Date 07/04/1961
NRHP Reference Number 66000922
John Tyler purchased this plantation in his native Charles City County in 1842 while serving as tenth president of the United States, making it his home from 1845 until his death in 1862. To the original 18th-century house, Tyler added wings, hyphens, and attached dependencies. The western hyphen contained a ballroom and connected to Tyler’s office. The additions resulted in a unified facade, 300 feet in length. Inside, the house was embellished with woodwork based on pattern-book designs by Minard Lafever. Its parlor wallpaper, ordered from France, was reproduced when the house was restored in the 1970s. Before becoming president, Tyler had served Virginia as congressman, governor, and U.S. senator, and he was a member of the Confederate Congress at his death in 1862. His home, one of many nationally significant landmarks along Virginia’s historic Route 5, remains the home of Tyler’s descendants.
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 21, 2021
