The Anchorage (Kilmarnock, Virginia)
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The Anchorage | |
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| Location | 1 mi. W of jct. of VA 605 and VA 669, N side, near Kilmarnock, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 37°47′22″N 76°20′20″W / 37.78944°N 76.33889°WCoordinates: 37°47′22″N 76°20′20″W / 37.78944°N 76.33889°W |
| Area | 32.3 acres (13.1 ha) |
| Built | 1749 |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP Reference # | 95000245[1] |
| VLR # | 066-0040 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 17, 1995 |
| Designated VLR | January 15, 1995[2] |
The Anchorage is an historic house located in Northumberland County, Virginia, seven miles (NE) of Kilmarnock, Virginia, near Wicomico Church, Virginia. The property it is built on is from a 350 acre Land Grant of 1658. Though the sign post says that the House was built Circa 1749, there is a preponderance of evidence suggesting a much earlier date. The house was built as a 2 1/2-story plantation home (original section which is still lived in) with a gambrel roof and then extended in 1855, including an English basement foundation with a parquet brick floor. An annex building of 2.5 rooms and one and a half floors was also built in 1855 with an English basement and a dirt floor. This building was moved and attached to the house in 1954. There are six fireplaces, three of which are part of the original chimney. The original section of the house was then extended in the rear in the mid 1980s. Currently (2016), the entire house and many of the out-buildings are undergoing a significant renovation. [3]
In over 270 years, the home has only had a handful of owners. The current owners, The Byrne Family, are on their 3rd generation, having owned the home since the 1920s, making them the longest holders of this historic treasure. The property, which was originally called "Road View" and renamed 'The Anchorage' by Capt. John A. Byrne, USN, was approximately 100 acres (40 ha) and sits on Mill Creek which feeds off of the Chesapeake Bay. The dock is situated in Kent Cove, which runs approximately 100 yards off of the Creek. At the entrance of the woods is the Kent family cemetery which dates back through the Civil War, inclusive of a CSA (Confederate States of America) Memorial tombstone and Grave.[3]
The property is complemented by rolling orchards and woods sitting on Mill Creek with approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) of waterfront acreage. The barn lot has a corn crib and additional barns dating back to the 1840s. The property which was originally a tobacco farm, now grows primarily Corn, Wheat and Soybeans and is situated in Ball's Neck in the Northern Neck of Virginia, rich in early colonial history. Mary Ball Washington was born only a few miles away in Lively, and Richard Lee I ("The Immigrant" was Robert E. Lee's GGG Grandfather) emigrated from England in 1639 and had a large tobacco plantation ("Ditchley") of approximately 2,600 acres (1,100 ha) on property approaching The Anchorage.[3]
The Anchorage was registered as an historic landmark by the Virginia Landmarks Register (Virginia Department of Historic Resources) in Virginia by the Byrne Family in 1995.[2] It also appears on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] {A Dendrochronological study was recently commissioned in order to determine the exact age of the House.}
Gallery
References
- 1 2 Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- 1 2 "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- 1 2 3 Wendy Kimball (November 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: The Anchorage" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
External links
Media related to The Anchorage (Kilmarnock, Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons
