Ferry Plantation House
Encyclopedia
Ferry Plantation House, or Old Donation Farm, Ferry Farm, Walke Manor House, is a brick house in the neighborhood of Church Point in Virginia Beach, Virginia
. The site dates back to 1642 when Savill Gaskin started the second ferry service in Hampton Roads
to carry passengers on the Lynnhaven River
to the nearby county courthouse and to visit plantations along the waterway. A cannon was used to signal the ferry, which had 11 total stops along the river. The first ferry service was started nearby by Adam Thoroughgood
.
The house, which is reputedly haunted by 11 spirits, has been used as a plantation, courthouse, tavern, school, and post office. It is currently a museum and educational center. A Summer History Camp, which educates youths about life in the 18th and 19th centuries, is also held on the site.
in the 16th century and many of their artifacts have been found on the site. The third Princess Anne County
courthouse, which was also the first brick courthouse in the county, was built on this site, complete with stocks
and pillory
. This third courthouse was in existence from 1735 til the construction of the Walke Mansion. The Walke Mansion replaced the courthouse circa 1751-1755 by Colonel Anthony Walke, but was destroyed by fire in 1828. Walke may have run a tavern
here during the American Revolution
.
The current house was built in 1830 by slaves. Its exterior is Federal style
three-course American bond brickwork; some of the bricks were from the ruins of the Walke Mansion. Bay additions on each end — one of brick, one of wood — were built in 1850. The land side of the house has a two-story porch constructed in Colonial Revival style
in the 1950s. The house has 10 rooms with heart-of-pine flooring and several original features. It was once covered with oyster shell stucco. The rear of the home faces the western branch of the Lynnhaven River
.
The house occupies 0.1 acre (0.0404686 ha) owned by the city and is encompassed by 2 acre (0.809372 ha) of open space owned by a homeowners association. There are some small gardens on the property and in the back yard is a large Southern Magnolia planted on April 6, 1863 by Sarah Rebecca Walke in memory of John Walke, her fallen Confederate
officer.
The house was listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register (Virginia Historic Landmark) in 2004 and the US National Register of Historic Places
in 2005.
by 11 spirits; spirit tours are available, including one during Halloween
called "The Stroll of Lost Souls". Reported spirits include those of people who perished in an 1810 ship wreck at the ferry landing, a former slave, Sally Rebecca Walke who mourns former resident/artist Thomas Williamson, and the Lady in White, who reportedly died in 1826 of a broken neck from falling down the stairs. Paranormal groups regularly come to the house to do research and to test equipment. Sounds of dragging chains have been reported, possibly from the days of the old courthouse. Grace Sherwood
, the "Witch of Pungo", was tried by ducking near here and the museum sponsors the annual Grace Sherwood Festival, which includes a reenactment of the ducking. The actual ducking of Sherwood was at the end of what is now Witchduck Road, 200 yards out in the river from what is now a private home. The reenactments are done from a spot across from Ferry Plantation House along Cheswick Lane. Sherwood is also one of the spirits reportedly haunting the site. The House has a Red Maple and marker in honor of Sherwood in the back yard.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The site dates back to 1642 when Savill Gaskin started the second ferry service in Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
to carry passengers on the Lynnhaven River
Lynnhaven River
The Lynnhaven River is a tidal estuary located in the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the United States, and flows into the Chesapeake Bay west of Cape Henry at Lynnhaven Inlet, beyond which is Lynnhaven Roads. It has a small, developed watershed covering , terminating at Lynnhaven...
to the nearby county courthouse and to visit plantations along the waterway. A cannon was used to signal the ferry, which had 11 total stops along the river. The first ferry service was started nearby by Adam Thoroughgood
Adam Thoroughgood
Adam Thoroughgood was a colonist and community leader in the Virginia Colony who helped settle the area of South Hampton Roads known in contemporary times as the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia....
.
The house, which is reputedly haunted by 11 spirits, has been used as a plantation, courthouse, tavern, school, and post office. It is currently a museum and educational center. A Summer History Camp, which educates youths about life in the 18th and 19th centuries, is also held on the site.
Description
The area was initially cleared by the local IndiansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the 16th century and many of their artifacts have been found on the site. The third Princess Anne County
Princess Anne County, Virginia
Princess Anne County is a former county which was created in the British Colony of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States in 1691. The county was merged into the city of Virginia Beach...
courthouse, which was also the first brick courthouse in the county, was built on this site, complete with stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
and pillory
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
. This third courthouse was in existence from 1735 til the construction of the Walke Mansion. The Walke Mansion replaced the courthouse circa 1751-1755 by Colonel Anthony Walke, but was destroyed by fire in 1828. Walke may have run a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
here during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
The current house was built in 1830 by slaves. Its exterior is Federal style
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
three-course American bond brickwork; some of the bricks were from the ruins of the Walke Mansion. Bay additions on each end — one of brick, one of wood — were built in 1850. The land side of the house has a two-story porch constructed in Colonial Revival style
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
in the 1950s. The house has 10 rooms with heart-of-pine flooring and several original features. It was once covered with oyster shell stucco. The rear of the home faces the western branch of the Lynnhaven River
Lynnhaven River
The Lynnhaven River is a tidal estuary located in the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the United States, and flows into the Chesapeake Bay west of Cape Henry at Lynnhaven Inlet, beyond which is Lynnhaven Roads. It has a small, developed watershed covering , terminating at Lynnhaven...
.
The house occupies 0.1 acre (0.0404686 ha) owned by the city and is encompassed by 2 acre (0.809372 ha) of open space owned by a homeowners association. There are some small gardens on the property and in the back yard is a large Southern Magnolia planted on April 6, 1863 by Sarah Rebecca Walke in memory of John Walke, her fallen Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
officer.
Renovation
A group of citizens saved the house from demolition around 1990. Investors bought it in 1994, but their deal to sell it fell through in 1995 when the Virginia Beach City Council said the house could not be a private residence due to deed restrictions. The deed to the property was eventually turned over to the City of Virginia Beach in June 1996, and the Friends of the Ferry Plantation House, Inc. began renovating the house in 2009 in partnership with the City of Virginia Beach. Post office bars were still on two windows as late as 1996.The house was listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register (Virginia Historic Landmark) in 2004 and the US National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2005.
Hauntings
The house is reportedly hauntedHaunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
by 11 spirits; spirit tours are available, including one during Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
called "The Stroll of Lost Souls". Reported spirits include those of people who perished in an 1810 ship wreck at the ferry landing, a former slave, Sally Rebecca Walke who mourns former resident/artist Thomas Williamson, and the Lady in White, who reportedly died in 1826 of a broken neck from falling down the stairs. Paranormal groups regularly come to the house to do research and to test equipment. Sounds of dragging chains have been reported, possibly from the days of the old courthouse. Grace Sherwood
Grace Sherwood
Grace Sherwood was a woman tried and convicted of witchcraft in the Princess Anne County court of the U.S. state of Virginia in 1705–1706, in one of the most notable witch trials in the folklore of Virginia...
, the "Witch of Pungo", was tried by ducking near here and the museum sponsors the annual Grace Sherwood Festival, which includes a reenactment of the ducking. The actual ducking of Sherwood was at the end of what is now Witchduck Road, 200 yards out in the river from what is now a private home. The reenactments are done from a spot across from Ferry Plantation House along Cheswick Lane. Sherwood is also one of the spirits reportedly haunting the site. The House has a Red Maple and marker in honor of Sherwood in the back yard.
See also
- List of the oldest buildings in Virginia
- Reportedly haunted locations in the United StatesReportedly haunted locations in the United StatesThere are numerous reportedly haunted locations in the United States. This list alphabetically sorts these places by state and then alphabetically within each state.-Arizona:...