Chestnut Grove (plantation)

Coordinates: 37°31′3.2″N 76°58′42.3″W / 37.517556°N 76.978417°W / 37.517556; -76.978417 Chestnut Grove was an 18th-century plantation on the Pamunkey River near New Kent Court House in New Kent County, Virginia, United States.^[1][2] Chestnut Grove is best known as the birthplace of Martha Washington,^[1][2][3][4] wife of George Washington, and the first First Lady of the United States. Martha Washington was born in the east room of the mansion house.^[1][4]

History

The two-story frame house consisting of six rooms^[2][4] was originally built around 1730.^[4] It was first inhabited by prominent Virginia planter John Dandridge and his wife Frances Jones.^[1][2][4] The couple raised their eight children, including Martha Washington, there.^[1][2][4] It was at Chestnut Grove that Martha married her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, on 15 May 1750.^[1][2][4]

In 1768, Martha Washington's younger brother Bartholomew Dandridge sold Chestnut Grove and its accompanying 500 acres (2.0 km²).^[4] Colonel Richard Pye Cooke then purchased the mansion in 1840.^[5] At that time, the Chestnut Grove estate contained 1,175 acres (4.76 km²). Unlike neighboring plantation homes, Chestnut Grove continued to serve as a residence for 200 years in its original state until it burned down in November 1926.^[2][4]

Architecture

Chestnut Grove's architectural details survive due to old photographs and sketches.^[4] The mansion was a two-story frame structure with a hip roof and a chimney at either end.^[4] It also contained a basement which ran the length of the mansion.^[4] The interior of Chestnut Grove was plain and paneled in pine.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Haugen, Brenda (2005). Martha Washington: First Lady of the United States. Compass Point Books. ISBN 0756509831. http://books.google.com/books?id=7sCG4rjdckkC. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Virginia Department of Historic Resources. "Martha Washington's Birthplace". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/hiway_markers/marker.cfm?mid=3633. Retrieved 2008-03-05. 
3. ^ The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (2009). "Martha Dandridge Custis Washington". The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/bios/biomwash.cfm. Retrieved 2008-03-05. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Bryan, Helen (2002). Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.. ISBN 0471158925. http://books.google.com/books?id=aM9jR3aJZKUC. 
5. ^ Philip J. Chamberlain, Ph.D. (July 13, 2003). "The Third Generation and Beyond: The Late 18th to the Mid-19th Century". The Chamberlaynes of Virginia. http://webpages.charter.net/chamberlayne/history/part2.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-05.