Allen Smokehouse, Bacon's Castle, Bacon's Castle, VA
**Bacon's Castle** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 66000849, date listed 19661015
Off VA 10
Bacon's Castle, VA (Surry County)
A National Historic Landmark (www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nh...).
The nation’s outstanding example of high-style 17th-century domestic architecture, and the oldest documented house in Virginia, Bacon’s Castle was erected in 1665 for Arthur Allen. Pure Jacobean in form and detail, the house is distinguished by its cruciform plan, curvilinear gables, and diagonal chimney stacks. It acquired its present name in 1676, when, during Bacon’s Rebellion, the house was fortified by a group of Nathaniel Bacon’s followers. The house was modified in the 18th century when the first-floor paneling was installed and the windows were changed from casements to wooden sash. Further alterations occurred in the 1840s when a Greek Revival wing was added. The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now Preservation Virginia) purchased the property in 1973 and exhibits it as a museum. On the grounds is a vast formal garden, reconstructed from archaeological evidence of the original 17th-century garden. (1)
Bacon’s Castle is the oldest brick dwelling in North America and was once the home of Arthur Allen, a prosperous merchant and planter, and his family. Allen’s Brick House earned the moniker “Bacon’s Castle” in 1676 when several of Nathaniel Bacon’s men occupied the home for four months during the uprising that became known as Bacon’s Rebellion. (2)
Traditionally called "The 1701 Barn" the central bay is now considered an early 18th century smokehouse. Smoke stains and construction of the supporting timbers point to this use. Significant portions of the original framing, weather boards and shingles survive. The flanking bays are c. 1830 additions. This is one of the oldest standing barns in Tidewater Virginia. (from local signage)
References (1) VA Dept of Historic Resources www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/090-0001/
(2) Preservation VA preservationvirginia.org/historic-sites/bacons-castle/#
Allen Smokehouse, Bacon's Castle, Bacon's Castle, VA
**Bacon's Castle** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 66000849, date listed 19661015
Off VA 10
Bacon's Castle, VA (Surry County)
A National Historic Landmark (www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nh...).
The nation’s outstanding example of high-style 17th-century domestic architecture, and the oldest documented house in Virginia, Bacon’s Castle was erected in 1665 for Arthur Allen. Pure Jacobean in form and detail, the house is distinguished by its cruciform plan, curvilinear gables, and diagonal chimney stacks. It acquired its present name in 1676, when, during Bacon’s Rebellion, the house was fortified by a group of Nathaniel Bacon’s followers. The house was modified in the 18th century when the first-floor paneling was installed and the windows were changed from casements to wooden sash. Further alterations occurred in the 1840s when a Greek Revival wing was added. The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now Preservation Virginia) purchased the property in 1973 and exhibits it as a museum. On the grounds is a vast formal garden, reconstructed from archaeological evidence of the original 17th-century garden. (1)
Bacon’s Castle is the oldest brick dwelling in North America and was once the home of Arthur Allen, a prosperous merchant and planter, and his family. Allen’s Brick House earned the moniker “Bacon’s Castle” in 1676 when several of Nathaniel Bacon’s men occupied the home for four months during the uprising that became known as Bacon’s Rebellion. (2)
Traditionally called "The 1701 Barn" the central bay is now considered an early 18th century smokehouse. Smoke stains and construction of the supporting timbers point to this use. Significant portions of the original framing, weather boards and shingles survive. The flanking bays are c. 1830 additions. This is one of the oldest standing barns in Tidewater Virginia. (from local signage)
References (1) VA Dept of Historic Resources www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/090-0001/
(2) Preservation VA preservationvirginia.org/historic-sites/bacons-castle/#