Tuckahoe (plantation)

Tuckahoe
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Virginia Landmarks Register
Tuckahoe plantation's northern wing
Location	SE of Manakin near jct. of Rtes. 650 and 647, near Manakin, Virginia
Coordinates
Built	1712
Architect	William Randolph
Architectural style	Georgian, Other
NRHP Reference #	68000049
VLR #	037-0033
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 22, 1968
Designated NHLD	August 11, 1969
Designated VLR	November 5, 1968

Tuckahoe, also known as Tuckahoe Plantation, is located on Route 650 near Manakin, Virginia overlapping both Goochland and Henrico counties. It was declared a historic district and a National Historic Landmark in 1969.

History

Construction is generally thought to have been begun by Thomas Randolph about 1710. His son William Randolph III is believed to have finished the work on the mansion. The original house is now the north wing; William added rooms and sections between 1730-1745 that created the "H"-shaped house of today.

He married Maria Paige and they had four children, but his wife died in 1744. William Randolph's cousin Jane married Peter Jefferson, and they were friends. Before William Randolph died in 1745, he named Peter Jefferson as guardian for his four children, including his oldest son Thomas Mann Randolph. The Jeffersons moved from Charlottesville into the house with their two-year-old son Thomas. They lived in the home until 1754, and for 7 years young Thomas was tutored with his young Randolph cousins. Jefferson turned over management of the plantation to Thomas Mann Randolph in 1757.

In 1793 his son Thomas Mann Randolph II (not to be confused with his other son of the same name, Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. who was born in 1768) was born. To the dismay of Thomas Mann Randolph Jr., his half brother Thomas Mann Randolph II inherited Tuckahoe and kept the house until 1830. Since then it has continued to be privately owned.

The house is currently under the care of the owner/managers Addison B. Thompson and his wife. The grounds are open for self-guided tours. The house is open for private tours by appointment and may also be rented for private events.

Exterior

The two-story wood structure sits in its original spot, surrounded by landscape and soaring trees. The structure forms an "H," with wings mirroring each other and connected by a central corridor. The entrance to the house is reached by a flight of stairs and a small stoop. The stoop is covered by a projected pediment supported by simple wooden posts and is framed by a wooden railing. To either side of the entrance is a pair of windows as well as a central window over the entrance, each with dark shutters. Each two-sashed window contains 9 panes of glass. The gabled roof rests on a simple cornice line with dentil moldings. A large brick chimney rises from either side of the home.

The grounds around the house include outbuildings: the schoolhouse where Thomas Jefferson was educated, a kitchen house, slave quarters, smokehouse, storehouse, stable, and the cemeteries of the Randolph and Wight families.

Gallery

• Cabin on the James River Tuckahoe Plantation by Frances Benjamin Johnston.jpg

  Residence, cabin, on James River, Tuckahoe Plantation photographed by Frances Benjamin Johnston

Further reading

• Masson, Kathryn and Brooke, Steven (photographer); Historic Houses of Virginia: Great Plantation Houses, Mansions, and Country Places; Rizzoli International Publications; New York City, New York; 2006

External links

• Tuckahoe Plantation Website
• Tuckahoe, at National Park Service
• James River Plantations, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
• Tuckahoe, Goochland County, 4 photos at Virginia DHR
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. VA-712, "Tuckahoe Plantation, River Road, Richmond vicinity, Manakin vicinity, Goochland County, VA", 8 measured drawings