Carter's Grove

Photo:  HABS.

One of America's most architecturally significant residences of the colonial period is Carter's Grove, a stately brick mansion dating from 1755.  The centerpiece of what was once a 1,400 acre plantation on the James River near Williamsburg, Virginia, it was open as a museum until January, 2003.  Carter's Grove has been in the news lately because of allegations of irreversable damage due to neglect and foreclosure actions against the current owner.  There have been a number of newspaper articles revealing the dealings of the parties involved, including an article in the Washington Post Magazine.  

Aerial Photo:  DRH.

Previously owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, decreasing revenues from drops in attendance and reduced income from the investment portfolio led to the property being closed in 2003 and offered for sale in 2006.  A conservation easement for 400 of the 476 acres prevents any commercial or residential development for perpetuity and requires maintenance of the property at the highest standards.  The estate was sold in 2007 for $15.3 million as a private residence for internet investor Halsey Minor;  he paid $5 million down and financed the balance as a loan from Colonial Williamsburg.  Featured on the cover of a 1998 issue of Forbes Magazine as one of the wealthiest Americans under the age of 40, a series of financial reversals resulted in the stopping of payments in mid-2010 with less than $4 million still owed to Colonial Williamsburg.  Minor never moved into the house, nor made any repairs, some of which allegedly were required at the time of his purchase.  A February 15, 2011, sale on the courthouse steps was halted when the limited liability corporation formed to legally own the property filed for bankrupcy.  As of this writing, the issue has yet to be resolved.

Exterior Measured Drawings, HABS.

The mansion Carter's Grove was built for Carter Burwell and his wife Lucy Ludwell Grymes on the land that he inherited from his grandfather Robert "King" Carter.  Legend has it that Carter Burwell lived in the completed house only 6 months before his death in 1777.  Carter's Grove was inhabited by the Burwell family until 1838.  When Archibald McCrea, a Pittsburgh industrialist, and his wife Mollie bought the estate in 1928, it was occupied by tenants.  Under the direction of Richmond architect Duncan Lee, noted in his day for the renovation of historic houses such as the Virginia Governor's Mansion, the house was modernized and expanded with "hypens" built to connect the main block to flanking dependencies.  Although Mr. McCrea died in 1937, his widow continued to live in the house until 1962.  The Rockefeller Foundation bought the furnished house from the estate and gave it to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1969.

Archibald and Mollie McCrea, 1936.
Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

In a change from the typical Williamsburg interpretation where Colonial furnishings were presented, often as a 'best guess' of what would have been, Carter's Grove was seen as a Colonial Revival house, furnished in a mixture of antiques of various periods and reproductions as it was during the occupancy of the McCreas.

Measured Drawings of the Basement and First Floor Plans.
HABS.

The plan is not particularly typical for an American house of the Georgian period.  The north and south elevations are similar except for the number of windows.

Photo:  R.C. Smith, 1962, University of Pennsylvania.

The panelling of the Entrance Hall had previously been painted, probably since the house was built.  Mollie McCrea had been quoted as saying the staircase balustrade was almost black from the dirty, aged finish when she first saw the interior of the house.  The cleaning of the staircase no doubt led to the stripping of the paint from the adjacent panelling.

Photo:  R.C. Smith, 1962, Universtiy of Pennsylvania.

A detail of the millwork reveals traces of paint.  (New houses of the Colonial Revival style often had  paint pigment rubbed into the grain of new millwork to simulate this stripped and waxed appearance).

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

The Southwest Parlor, or Drawing Room, was known as the Refusal Room because in it the marriage proposals of both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were refused by ladies who lived in the house.

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

The Northwest Parlor was used by the McCreas as the Library, filled with their collection of hundreds of first edition books.

Photo:  R.C. Smith, 1962, University of Pennsylvania.

The new Sitting Room occupied the west hyphen.

Photo:  The Washington Post.

The Smoking Room, noted as the Office on the floor plan, occupied the western terminus of the house.

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

The Dining Room occupied the Northeast Parlor.

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

A Breakfast Room occupied part of the new hypen on the east.

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

There was a small utilitarian kitchen for the McCreas in addition to this one that occupied the eastern terminus.

Measured Drawings of the Second and Third Floor Plans.
HABS.

The second floor of the main block contained an arrangement of rooms identical to the first floor.  The renovation provided bathrooms and more bedrooms.

Photo:  Washington Post.

The staircase is particularly handsome.  According to legend, Banastre Tarleton rode his horse up (and down) this staircase one night in 1781 swinging his saber.  There are various reasons given for his doing this and no one seems to know for certain why, but metal slivers are said to still be seen in the balusters.

Longitudinal Section of Main Block.
HABS.

On the second floor, the room above the Entrance Hall was used as a Study.

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

The detailing and volumes of the second floor rooms are as handsome as they are on the first floor.

Photo:  Northeast Auctions.

A photo from the auction catalog of the McRae furnishings shows more of the details of the Study.

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

The Master Bedroom featured an elaborate Chippendale style bed.  In the May 17, 2008, Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, sale the bed and hangings brought $11,000 plus fees.

Photo:  Northeast Auctions.

In 1976, archaeological studies found the remains of Wolstenholme Towne on the Carter's Grove property.  A fortified settlement established about 1618, the English settlers were killed and their houses looted and burned by Native American Powhatans in 1622.  A $4 million center was built for visitors, but reports now state that mold due to leaks may have made the building unusable.

Photo:  Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Although the house was shown as the home of the McCreas in the 20th century, Colonial Williamsburg built slave quarters and had costumed docents present representations of slave life on the plantation from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  One can only imagine the possible misunderstandings from tourists.

A federal judge has turned the property over to a trustee and the insurance has been renewed and the utilities restored to the caretakers' cottage.  Mr. Minor has stated that his problems are only due to temporary cash flow issues and will soon be resolved.  That is hoped to be the case, and that soon the preservation of this landmark property will be assured.