T.C. Walker House is the historic home of a lawyer, county supervisor, and a school superintendent who was enslaved prior to 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 ...

. It is at 1 Main Street in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

Gloucester County, Virginia Gloucester County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 38,711. Its county seat is Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia, Gloucester Courthouse. T ...

and was built about 1880, and is a two-story, U-shaped, frame vernacular dwelling with traces of

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

and

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

styles. It has a cross-gable roof, two-bay addition, and front porch. It was the home of Thomas Calhoun "T.C." Walker, who worked tirelessly to improve

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

land ownership and educational opportunities. As a lawyer he represented many African American clients. He purchased the home in 1900. an
''Accompanying four photos''
/ref> The house was donated to

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...

in 1977. Walker wrote an autobiography titled '' The Honey-Pod Tree''. He was buried at the Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery. The home was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2009.

References

African-American history of Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Carpenter Gothic houses in Virginia Houses completed in 1880 Houses in Gloucester County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Gloucester County, Virginia 1880 establishments in Virginia {{GloucesterCountyVA-NRHP-stub