Sharswood Plantation, also known as Sharswood Manor Estate, is a historic plantation house in Gretna, Virginia. Prior to the American Civil War, Sharswood operated as a 2,000-acre tobacco plantation under the ownership of Charles Edwin Miller and Nathaniel Crenshaw Miller. The Carpenter Gothic mansion was designed by New York architect Alexander Jackson Davis. The plantation remained in the Miller family until 1917, when it was purchased by the Thompson family. In 2020, the estate was purchased by Frederick Miller, a descendant of people enslaved at Sharswood.
| Sharswood Plantation | |
|---|---|
 Sharswood House in 2023 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Sharswood Manor Estate Miller Plantation |
| General information | |
| Status | active |
| Type | plantation house |
| Architectural style | Carpenter Gothic |
| Location | 5685 Riceville Road Gretna, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 36°55′49″N 79°11′26″W / 36.93028°N 79.19056°W |
| Owner | Miller Family |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Alexander Jackson Davis |
History
editPrior to the American Civil War, Sharswood operated as a 2,000-acre tobacco plantation under the ownership of two brothers, Charles Edwin Miller and Nathaniel Crenshaw Miller.[1][2] The plantation was built in Virginia, located outside the town of Gretna, between Danville and Lynchburg.[3][4]
A wood-frame structure, likely the original plantation house, was built before 1800.[5] After 1820, the original house was divided into a duplex and used as living quarters for slaves.[5] In the 1850s, a grand mansion, designed by New York architect Alexander Jackson Davis,[6] was built in the Carpenter Gothic style for the Miller family.[5] The house features a steep roof, polygonal chimney stacks, lacy bargeboards with finials, fleur-de-lis crockets, a one-story porch with octagonal columns and tracery, and diamond-paned windows with hood molds.[5] The plantation also contained twelve outbuildings, many of which were slave quarters.[5]
In 1860, the ages of those enslaved at Sharswood ranged from one to seventy-two years of age.[7] According to that year's census, thirty-five enslaved people were twelve or older and twenty-three were children.[7] Thirty-one enslaved people at Sharswood were female.[7] After emancipation, ten formerly enslaved people signed labor contracts with Nathaniel Miller to stay on as sharecroppers.[8]
In 1917, the plantation was bought by the Thompson family, who owned it for over a century.[9]
In 2020, the estate was purchased for $225,000 by Frederick Miller, a retired United States Air Force veteran.[10] Frederick Miller, who is African-American, is the great-great-grandson of Violet and David Miller, who were both enslaved at Sharswood.[7] His great-grandmother, Sarah Miller, was born in 1868 at Sharswood and was recorded as a member of the household in the Slave Birth Index.[7] Miller was unaware of his ancestral connection to Sharswood at the time of his purchase.[11] Miller founded the Sharswood Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the upkeep and historical preservation of the plantation.[12] In June 2022, the plantation hosted a large Juneteenth celebration with over 1,000 people in attendance.[13] A second Juneteenth celebration was held on June 18, 2023.[14]
Sharswood includes the 3,200 square-foot manor house and a 10.5-acre estate with various small buildings,[15] including an overseer's office and a cabin that previously served as a kitchen, laundry, and slave quarters.[7][16] There is also a slave cemetery on the Sharswood estate.[8][17]
References
edit- ^ Carter, Duke (February 20, 2023). "Black History Special: The New Millers". WSLS.
- ^ "Virtual Tour of a Dwelling for the Enslaved at Sharswood Plantation, Pittsylvania County". Encyclopedia Virginia.
- ^ "An old Virginia plantation, a new owner and a family legacy unveiled". Washington Post. 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
- ^ "Discovery of Hidden Family Roots - Norfolk State University". www.nsu.edu.
- ^ a b c d e "Sharswood". SAH ARCHIPEDIA. June 18, 2018.
- ^ "Sold. "Sharswood", Circa 1820. On ten acres in Virginia. $220,000 – The Old House Life". theoldhouselife.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "In Touch With An Old Virginia Plantation". Fort Wayne Ink Spot. March 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Shelton, Makayla (February 16, 2023). "Inside the Sharswood Plantation: Family discovers ancestors were enslaved there after buying the home". wdbj7.com.
- ^ "The house that unlocked a family's history - 60 Minutes - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Family Discovers New Home Was Once Plantation Where Their Ancestors Were Once Enslaved". Essence. May 17, 2022.
- ^ "Man unknowingly buys former plantation house where his ancestors were enslaved". August 29, 2022.
- ^ Foundation, Sharswood. "Sharswood foundation". Sharswood foundation.
- ^ MCFARLAND, DIANA (July 16, 2022). "Celebrating the end of slavery where their ancestors were slaves". Chatham Star-Tribune.
- ^ Latimore, Kaci (May 23, 2023). "Juneteenth Celebration at Sharswood Manor Estate". WSET.
- ^ "Pittsylvania County family buys home, learns ancestors were enslaved on property". February 16, 2023.
- ^ Newspath, C. B. S. (May 16, 2022). "Man unknowingly buys plantation his ancestors were enslaved on". WKRC.
- ^ "Sharswood Plantation Cemetery". Black Cemetery Network.