HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- The house at 16120 Chiswell Lane in Beaverdam has been weathering the test of time for 300 years.
While many families have called this place home, Preservation Virginia’s CEO Elizabeth Kostelny says one owner in particular put this landmark on the map.
“Scotchtown was the home of Patrick Henry for a period of time during a very pivotal part of his life,” Kostelny said. “You really get a sense of the farmland that probably dominated this area of the county once upon a time.”
Patrick Henry, Virginia’s revolutionary firebrand and former governor, lived here in the 1770s.
”It was from Scotchtown that he rode into Richmond to deliver that speech that he is so well-known for that speaks of liberty and freedom," Kostelny said.
While Henry’s structure has not changed much in three centuries, Kostelny said the area surrounding the plantation has been transforming one acre at a time.
”So many places in Virginia have disappeared," she said. "Scotchtown is fortunate.”
But Hanover County is experiencing rapid development. Subdivisions are growing where crops once stood. Kostelny said protecting the landmark from encroaching development is paramount.
The non-profit noticed a “for sale” sign going up at a neighbor’s farm earlier this year. They purchased the lot for more than $500,000.
”Certainly there’s a development that needs to occur in counties and in cities, but being able to preserve a slice of that so that you have a respite from that development was really our aim," Kostelny said.
A development within eyesight of the landmark would alter the view shed of the historic site forever, according to Scotchtown’s Site Coordinator Patrick Laird.
”Being at the site here at Scotchtown, it does feel that way to actually be part of the same history that was happening here hundreds of years ago,” Laird said. “Very concerning, especially when you consider that every little addition to a place like, say, the land across from Scotchtown, it distracts from everything that we’re doing here.”
The newly acquired acreage nearly doubles the land holdings at Scotchtown. It also helps tell the story of the families who lived here and the enslaved who toiled the land without seeing a subdivision or strip mall.
“Absolutely, we want to preserve what we have,” Laird said. ”Having more and more structures going and more and more development would really distract from that view. You’re not able to transport back in time the same way you’d be able to if it remained undeveloped.”
With America’s 250th anniversary on the horizon, attention on the country’s founding is coming into sharper focus. This preservation effort at Scotchtown just may be an early birthday gift to Virginians and visitors near and far. While getting the approval of one of history’s most famous patriots.
“Certainly Hanover County is one of the fastest growing counties in the area and that is wonderful for the citizens," Kostelny said. "But equally wonderful is to really have these places where you can reflect on the history. I think it gives a great context as you approach historic property to see fully what it looked like in it’s time.”
Scotchtown and Preservation Virginia welcome you to their annual Fall Festival on Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Watch Greg McQuade's stories on CBS 6 and WTVR.com. If you know someone Greg should profile, email him at greg.mcquade@wtvr.com.
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