Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 10/06/1970
NRHP Listing Date 12/18/1970
NRHP Reference Number 70000829
The massive exterior-end chimney structure, complete with windowed pent closets, lends architectural potency to the late 18th-century plantation house of Chester in Sussex County. This type of chimney construction served a practical function by accommodating several fireplaces of a relatively large timber-frame house in a single structure. Chester was built for Capt. William Harrison in 1793, a date found on five inscribed bricks. Consistent with the quality of the exterior is the Georgian interior woodwork, nearly all of which is intact. The principal first-floor rooms are embellished with paneled chimneypieces flanked by fluted pilasters. Except for the addition of a two-story ca. 1820 wing, Chester remains without significant alteration. The house stood in neglected condition for many years but was purchased by a descendant of the builder in 1969 and carefully restored.
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: June 30, 2021
