Lower Brandon Plantation (or simply Brandon or Brandon Plantation and initially known as Martin's Brandon) is located on the south shore of the
James River in present-day
Prince George County, Virginia
Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George.
Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. st ...
.
The
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
is an active farm and was tended perhaps from 1607 on, and more clearly from 1614 on, making it one of the longest-running agricultural enterprises in the United States. It has an unusual brick
mansion in style of
Palladio's "Roman Country House" completed in the 1760s, and was perhaps designed by
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
.
It was established in 1616 by
Captain John Martin
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, one of the original leaders of the
Virginia Colony
The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...
at
Jamestown in 1607. The plantation was owned by the
Harrison family
The Harrison family of Virginia is an American family with a history in politics, public service, and religious ministry, beginning in the Colony of Virginia during the 1600’s. Their descendants include a Founding Father of the United States, ...
for over two centuries, from 1700–1926. Restored by
Robert Williams Daniel in the early 20th century, it is a
National Historical Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
.
History
Brandon Plantation was part of a 1616 land grant of approximately on the south bank of the James River to
Captain John Martin
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
(1560–1632). Captain Martin was one of the original colonists and a member of the first Council in the spring of 1607, when
Jamestown was first established.
Martin's new plantation built on the 1616 land grant was initially named "Martin's Brandon", apparently incorporating the family name of his wife, Mary Martin (née Brandon), daughter of
Robert Brandon
Robert Brandon (died 30 May 1591) was an English goldsmith and jeweller to Queen Elizabeth I of England.Masters, p. xxxii–xxxviii A prominent member of the Goldsmiths' Company, Brandon was elected Chamberlain or treasurer of the City of London i ...
, a prominent English goldsmith and supplier to Queen
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
. They had been married in 1586.
In 1619, Martin's Brandon was one of the plantations represented when what became the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...
, the first representative legislative body in the English colonies, met at Jamestown. The representatives of Martin's Brandon were Thomas Davis and Robert Stacy.
During the
Indian Massacre of 1622
The Indian massacre of 1622, popularly known as the Jamestown massacre, took place in the English Colony of Virginia, in what is now the United States, on 22 March 1622. John Smith, though he had not been in Virginia since 1609 and was not an e ...
which occurred on
Good Friday, March 22, 1622, there were 7 deaths recorded at Martin's Brandon, including one woman and two boys. 347 deaths were recorded during the coordinated attacks along both shores of the James River, from the mouth of the river at Newport News Point on
Hampton Roads, west to
Falling Creek
Captain John Martin died at Martin's Brandon Plantation in 1632. His grandson, Captain Robert Bargrave, inherited the plantation on Martin's death. In 1637, merchants John Sadler and Richard Quiney and mariner William Barker, who patented the nearby
Merchant's Hope plantation, bought Martin's Brandon. They and their heirs farmed it successfully until 1720 when it was sold to Nathaniel Harrison (1677–1727).
After Nathaniel's premature death in 1727, it passed to his son
Nathaniel Harrison II (1703–1791) who built the current manor house around 1765. Brandon then came into the possession of
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Benjamin Harrison (1743–1807). At his death, the property was divided between his two sons, and
Upper Brandon Plantation was created.
In 1824 tax records show that Brandon had 93 slaves and Upper Brandon had 94.
Brandon Plantation (aka Lower Brandon) remained in the Harrison family until 1926, when it was acquired by
Robert Williams Daniel, a
Richmond banker. The Daniels undertook the restoration of the house and grounds and purchased several adjacent tracts of land that were part of the original land grant that had been separated from the estate over the previous three centuries. U.S. Congressman
Robert W. Daniel, Jr. (1936–2012) inherited the property from his parents.
Brandon was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1969,
and was further declared a U.S.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1985.
[ and ][ (at Virginia DHR, includes map of the plantation)]
The restored manor house was, furnished by the Daniels with 1760s era English and American furnishings. Brandon is still a working farm and the agricultural enterprise is one of the oldest continuous farming operations in the United States.
The 4487.5-acre property was sold at auction by the estate of Robert W. Daniel, Jr., on 23 June 2013.
In late 2013 the purchase contract with the buyer fell through and the estate was put back on the market with an asking price of $20 million.
Midway through 2014, a Florida family purchased it for $17.8 million; soon after acquiring it, the new owners announced their intention to continue the agricultural operation and to occupy the historic manor house for part of the year.
See also
*
Martin's Brandon Church
*
Upper Brandon Plantation
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Virginia
*
References
External links
Brandon Plantation*
{{James River Plantations
James River plantations
National Historic Landmarks in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Prince George County, Virginia
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia
Houses in Prince George County, Virginia
Harrison family of Virginia
Palladian Revival architecture in Virginia
Tourist attractions in Prince George County, Virginia