Patrick Henry's Law Office
His health failing, Patrick Henry retired to Red Hill in 1793. Though he met with clients seeking advice in this office, even the county circuit court was too much for the nearly 60 year-old patriot. This office also housed guests and visiting family, acted as a classroom for the men who studied law under Henry, and provided Henry with a place to meditate during the day. This view can be seen as one returns from the small cemetery on the grounds; it is fun to imagine the passionate Henry sitting on a bench similarly situated beneath the tree, gazing out over the vegetable garden, perhaps playing his violin, perusing the latest news, or chatting with one of his beloved grandchildren.
In 1919, Henry's great-granddaughter, Lucy Henry Harrison, moved into the office and turned it into her home after Henry's house (which had been enlarged into a mansion) burned to the ground. She lived there until her death. It was Lucy who sold Red Hill to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation in 1944, to ensure the preservation of Henry's last but beloved home, to say nothing of his memory. This is the only national memorial to Patrick Henry we have, other than the echo of his words, which still ring down to us through the years.
There's a lovely little article from the 1940s about Red Hill's designation as the national Patrick Henry memorial, as well as the plantation and Lucy Henry Harrison herself (who is described as "this vivacious great-granddaughter"), here.
Patrick Henry's Law Office
His health failing, Patrick Henry retired to Red Hill in 1793. Though he met with clients seeking advice in this office, even the county circuit court was too much for the nearly 60 year-old patriot. This office also housed guests and visiting family, acted as a classroom for the men who studied law under Henry, and provided Henry with a place to meditate during the day. This view can be seen as one returns from the small cemetery on the grounds; it is fun to imagine the passionate Henry sitting on a bench similarly situated beneath the tree, gazing out over the vegetable garden, perhaps playing his violin, perusing the latest news, or chatting with one of his beloved grandchildren.
In 1919, Henry's great-granddaughter, Lucy Henry Harrison, moved into the office and turned it into her home after Henry's house (which had been enlarged into a mansion) burned to the ground. She lived there until her death. It was Lucy who sold Red Hill to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation in 1944, to ensure the preservation of Henry's last but beloved home, to say nothing of his memory. This is the only national memorial to Patrick Henry we have, other than the echo of his words, which still ring down to us through the years.
There's a lovely little article from the 1940s about Red Hill's designation as the national Patrick Henry memorial, as well as the plantation and Lucy Henry Harrison herself (who is described as "this vivacious great-granddaughter"), here.