Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/15/1981
NRHP Listing Date 02/10/1983
NRHP Reference Number 83003266
Originally patented in 1638 to Elizabeth Grayne, and farmed as a separate unit for nearly three and a half centuries, Hardens is a James River estate that formerly served as a subsidiary farm, or quarter, of Shirley plantation. The Charles City County property was at one time called Hardings, also Hardings Landing. An 1818 survey and plat shows a dwelling in the approximate location of the present house. A typical example of mid-19th-century Virginia’s rural vernacular architecture, the main part of the existing frame house was erected in 1846 by Hill Carter, of Shirley, for his son Lewis Warrington Carter and may incorporate sections of an earlier structure. Hardens was acquired by David Walker Haxall in 1852 to supply lumber for his family’s extensive Richmond milling operations. During the Civil War the place served as a Union communications station and camp for Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan in 1862.
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: April 26, 2022
