Wythe House
Encyclopedia
Wythe House was the Williamsburg, Virginia
home of George Wythe
, signer of the Declaration of Independence
and father of American jurisprudence. It is located in what is now Colonial Williamsburg
, on Palace Green, adjacent to Bruton Parish Church
. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark
on April 15, 1970.
. The house was constructed between 1752 to 1754 and was conceived as a whole with no additions made to the rectangular two story structure. The house was built during a period of time when the Governor's Palace
was being renovated.
The house remained as the sole household of Taliaferro when his daughter Elizabeth married George Wythe in 1755. The couple received the house as a wedding present from Taliafero and they received a life tenancy upon his death in 1779. George Wythe made no changes or renovations to the exterior of the house and it remains as it has for years. Elizabeth lived here until her death in 1787, and George finally moved out in 1791 to serve as a judge in Richmond, Virginia
. The house served as headquarters for George Washington
prior to the Siege of Yorktown
.
The house saw several subsequent owners including a reverend who established his offices on the second floor and also served as headquarters for the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area restoration. Colonial Williamburg officially obtained the property in 1938, and in 1939 the interior was restored to the form and appearance the Wythe family would have known.
molding.
The red bricks used in the construction consists of fired clay, sand and water. The bricks framing the windows and doors are called "rubbed bricks," as the masons would rub one side of the bricks against each other until a rosy color became evident. Several techniques were used to make the house look more imposing, such as the beveled water table
bricks at the bottom of the first floor, thin mortar joints and alternating header (ends) and stretcher (sides) bricks. The entrance is reached by a small flight of steps with a large door with recessed panels and a transom window.
, external kitchen, laundry, poultry house, lumber house, well, dovecote
, and a stable. The gardens consist of brick paths and hedges with several small shrubs dotting the landscape. The property is contained by a simple white fence with hedges trimming the edges of the gardens.
The parlor is to the left before the staircase. The room is centered around the fireplace, which contains side panels to provide a smaller, intimate fire. A buffet rests in the corner to the left of the fireplace. The red wallpaper in this room contains rosettes
and fanciful depictions of flora.
The dining room is across from the parlor, which it mirrors. A recessed fireplace and buffet frame the inside wall. White half wood panelling skirt this room with green walls and white crown molding
. The dining table sits in the middle of the room and normally seats four. A decorative rug rests under the table and gives an appearance of a checkered floor.
A guest bedroom is located behind the dining room, with a door connecting the two rooms. The bedroom is decorated with green wallpaper with depictions of leaves and vines. A white chair rail
divides the walls with a black base board. The hardwood floors are covered with a diamond pattern rug. The bedroom has another doorway leading into the main hall to the rear of the house.
George Wythe's office is located under the stairs and across the hall from the bedroom and served him throughout most of his career. The room contains a fireplace with a blue mantel and white firebox. The room features white walls with a blue chair rail. The wooden floors are uncovered and in the center of the room is a round table where Wythe worked.
The second floor looks similar in layout to the first and contains the family's private quarters. A central hall runs the length of the house with four bedrooms filling out the corners. Each of these rooms has the convenience of a fireplace. The windows on this upper floor are actually slightly smaller than the first floor windows but contain the same amount of panels (18) and a double sash.
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
home of George Wythe
George Wythe
George Wythe was an American lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." He was a teacher and mentor of Thomas Jefferson. Wythe's signature is positioned at the head of the list of seven Virginia signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence...
, signer of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
and father of American jurisprudence. It is located in what is now Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
, on Palace Green, adjacent to Bruton Parish Church
Bruton Parish Church
Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It was established in 1674 in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Episcopal parish.-History of Bruton Parish Church:...
. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on April 15, 1970.
History
The Wythe House once belonged to George Wythe's father-in-law, Richard TaliaferroRichard Taliaferro
Richard Taliaferro was a colonial architect and builder in Williamsburg, Virginia. Among his works is Wythe House, a Georgian-style building that was built in 1750 or 1755. It was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1970...
. The house was constructed between 1752 to 1754 and was conceived as a whole with no additions made to the rectangular two story structure. The house was built during a period of time when the Governor's Palace
Governor's Palace
The Governor's Palace, home of the Colony of Virginia's Royal Governors as well as Virginia's post colonial governors, is located on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is one of the two largest buildings at Colonial Williamsburg, the other being the Capitol...
was being renovated.
The house remained as the sole household of Taliaferro when his daughter Elizabeth married George Wythe in 1755. The couple received the house as a wedding present from Taliafero and they received a life tenancy upon his death in 1779. George Wythe made no changes or renovations to the exterior of the house and it remains as it has for years. Elizabeth lived here until her death in 1787, and George finally moved out in 1791 to serve as a judge in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. The house served as headquarters for George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
prior to the Siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
.
The house saw several subsequent owners including a reverend who established his offices on the second floor and also served as headquarters for the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area restoration. Colonial Williamburg officially obtained the property in 1938, and in 1939 the interior was restored to the form and appearance the Wythe family would have known.
The House
The house is a perfect example of the popular Georgian style of architecture from the 1770s. The facade is constructed of red brick with white trimming and is perfectly symmetrical, with the first floor having two windows on each side of the door, and five windows in alignment with the bottom windows. The roof is a low pitch with two large red brick chimneys protruding from the sides of the house. The roof rests on an entablature with dentilDentil
In classical architecture a dentil is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect Vitruvius In classical architecture a dentil (from Lat. dens, a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect...
molding.
The red bricks used in the construction consists of fired clay, sand and water. The bricks framing the windows and doors are called "rubbed bricks," as the masons would rub one side of the bricks against each other until a rosy color became evident. Several techniques were used to make the house look more imposing, such as the beveled water table
Water table (architecture)
A water table is a masonry architectural feature that consists of a projecting course that deflects water running down the face of a building away from lower courses or the foundation...
bricks at the bottom of the first floor, thin mortar joints and alternating header (ends) and stretcher (sides) bricks. The entrance is reached by a small flight of steps with a large door with recessed panels and a transom window.
The Property
The property has fine symmetrical gardens framed by several outbuildings including a smokehouseSmokehouse
A smokehouse is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.-History:...
, external kitchen, laundry, poultry house, lumber house, well, dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
, and a stable. The gardens consist of brick paths and hedges with several small shrubs dotting the landscape. The property is contained by a simple white fence with hedges trimming the edges of the gardens.
Interior
Upon entry to the house a long hall reaches to the back of the house and out the back door. The hall is decorated with white half wood panelling, and blue wallpaper with white details of fruit, urns and pictures. A large staircase takes up the left part of the hall with simple spindles and handrail. The hall contains four internal doorways, two in the front of the house and two in the rear, leading to the various rooms.The parlor is to the left before the staircase. The room is centered around the fireplace, which contains side panels to provide a smaller, intimate fire. A buffet rests in the corner to the left of the fireplace. The red wallpaper in this room contains rosettes
Rosette (design)
A rosette is a round, stylized flower design, used extensively in sculptural objects from antiquity. Appearing in Mesopotamia and used to decorate the funeral stele in Ancient Greece...
and fanciful depictions of flora.
The dining room is across from the parlor, which it mirrors. A recessed fireplace and buffet frame the inside wall. White half wood panelling skirt this room with green walls and white crown molding
Crown molding
Crown molding encapsulates a large family of moldings which are designed to gracefully flare out to a finished top edge. Crown molding is generally used for capping walls, pilasters, and cabinets, and is used extensively in the creation of interior and exterior cornice assemblies and door and...
. The dining table sits in the middle of the room and normally seats four. A decorative rug rests under the table and gives an appearance of a checkered floor.
A guest bedroom is located behind the dining room, with a door connecting the two rooms. The bedroom is decorated with green wallpaper with depictions of leaves and vines. A white chair rail
Dado rail
A dado rail, also known as a chair rail, is a type of moulding fixed horizontally to the wall around the perimeter of a room.The dado rail is traditionally part of the dado and, although the purpose of the dado is mainly aesthetic in modern homes, the dado rail still provides the wall with...
divides the walls with a black base board. The hardwood floors are covered with a diamond pattern rug. The bedroom has another doorway leading into the main hall to the rear of the house.
George Wythe's office is located under the stairs and across the hall from the bedroom and served him throughout most of his career. The room contains a fireplace with a blue mantel and white firebox. The room features white walls with a blue chair rail. The wooden floors are uncovered and in the center of the room is a round table where Wythe worked.
The second floor looks similar in layout to the first and contains the family's private quarters. A central hall runs the length of the house with four bedrooms filling out the corners. Each of these rooms has the convenience of a fireplace. The windows on this upper floor are actually slightly smaller than the first floor windows but contain the same amount of panels (18) and a double sash.
Further reading
- Coffman, Suzanne E. and Olmert, Michael, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia 2000. ISBN 0-87935-184-5
- Howard, Hugh and Strauss III, Roger, Houses of the Founding Fathers, Artisan, New York City, New York 2007. ISBN 1-57965-275-3