Endview Plantation (Harwood Plantation) is an 18th-century

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

, including a park and historic home now operated by the

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...

, located on Virginia State Route 238 in the Lee Hall community.

History

Earlier known as the Harwood Plantation, the house was built in 1769 by William Harwood along the Great Warwick Road, which linked the colonial capital of

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

with the town of Hampton (the county seat of what was then

Elizabeth City County Elizabeth City County was a county in southeastern Virginia from 1634 until 1952 when it was merged into the city of Hampton. Originally created in 1634 as Elizabeth River Shire, it was one of eight shires created in the Virginia Colony by or ...

) and the great natural harbor of

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

. The house and grounds were used by military forces during the Revolutionary War, since Harwood was a patriot and political leader, as well as farmed using enslaved labor. General Thomas Nelson, Jr.'s Virginia militia used it as a resting place on September 28, 1781, en route to Yorktown shortly before the surrender of the British troops under

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

. Harwood served many terms in the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...

representing what was then known as Warwick County, as had his father William Harwood, and he also served as its representative in the Virginia Revolutionary Conventions, and the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

as would his second son Edward Harwood. However, the devastations of war and poor farming practices led to Warwick County's depopulation after the conflict (as Harwood's eldest son William took his family and one of his sisters to what became

Shelbyville, Kentucky Shelbyville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,282 at the 2020 census. History Early history The town of Shelbyville ...

), and reduced political activity by Harwood family members. Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis, Jr. acquired the property before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and was one of two doctors in Warwick County. In 1861, he organized a volunteer infantry company of 80 members known as the Warwick Beauregards to protect local interests, and served as its captain. That unit ultimately saw action in 13 battles of that war as part of the 32nd Virginia Infantry Regiment. Also a slaveowner, he allowed Confederate troops to use the property as a field hospital during the April 1862 Battle of Dam Number One (part of the

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

, and a month before the inconclusive

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

). Warwick County was acquired by the City of Newport News in the 1950s, and the city acquired this property in 1995. The post Civil War addition to the house was torn down, and the lost chimney rebuilt so as to make the building reach its 1860 appearance. Although it also now hosts some living history re-enactments about the American Revolutionary War, the site is now officially known as "The Civil War at Endview: A Living History Museum". Visitors to the house museum can tour the four interior rooms, which portray a collection of medical supplies, a standard parlor, Union soldier gear, and a bedroom, although re-enactors are only present at special events. The property has been used for once-a-year Civil War Reenactments, and has recently restarted reenactments of the Siege of Yorktown on a bi-annual basis. As of Spring 2023, operating hours have been cut back so that the site is open to the public Thursday through Saturday, with additional closings during the Winter.

Media

Endview Plantation was featured on '' Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy'' in the episode "America After Dark". Self-proclaimed "redneck" comedian

Larry the Cable Guy Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17, 1963), known professionally as Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, actor, and former radio personality. He was one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a ...

visited the plantation with ''Southeast Virginia Paranormal Investigations'', a local paranormal team and joined them in investigating the house. The group could not declare the house haunted however, they did gather evidence of possible paranormal activity, such as EVP's of several strange noises and ghost voices on their digital recorders.

References

External links

Endview Plantation website
{{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses completed in 1769 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Virginia municipal and county parks Houses in Newport News, Virginia Plantation houses in Virginia Historic house museums in Virginia Museums in Newport News, Virginia American Civil War museums in Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia Parks in Newport News, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Newport News, Virginia

History

Media

See also

References

External links