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Charles city county: shirley plantation.

Shirley is a premier example of an colonial Virginia tobacco plantation and is the oldest plantation in Virginia, dating to 1613. The property was patented to Edward Hill in 1660 and remains in the possession of his family today. The main house, forecourt dependencies, formal brick farm buildings, and two demolished three-story bedroom houses were built ca. 1736 for Elizabeth Hill. In 1736, Hill, the heiress of Shirley, married John Carter, the son of Robert "King" Carter. Robert Carter was the wealthiest and most politically influential man in mid- 1700s Virginia. Carter's children also married into prominent families who owned other plantations, such as Berkeley , Westover , and Brandon.

By the 1770s, Charles, John Carter's son, inherited Shirley. He remodled the interior and added fine woodwork, poriticos, new outbuildings, and replaced the roof tile with slate. By this time, Shirley was considered to be the seat of the Carter family. By the end of the 1700s, Shirley had become the largest agricultural operation in the state. Charles Carter's daughter, Ann Hill Carter, was born at Shirley in 1773. She married Light-Horse Harry Lee and gave birth to General Robert E. Lee.

Shirley is the oldest family-owned business in North America, dating to 1638 when Edward Hill I established a farm on the banks of the James. Today, the 800 acre plantation is still home to the 10th and 11th generations of the Hill-Carter family. The plantation is located at 501 Shirley Plantation Road Charles City, VA 23030. Shirley was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 1, 1969 and the Virginia Landmarks Register on November 5, 1968. For more information or to visit, please call: (804) 829-5121 or visit the Shirley Planation website .

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Last updated: August 29, 2022

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Shirley Plantation

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Historic Shirley

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Historic Shirley - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Shirley Plantation

Built on the banks of the James River, this is Virginia's oldest plantation (1613). It retains an original row of brick service and trade houses – tool barn, ice house, laundry etc – leading up to the big house, which dates from 1738. Established by Edward Hill I, the plantation was subsequently owned by descendants of Robert 'King' Carter and is still home to members of the Hill-Carter family. Guided tours of the downstairs reception rooms are held on the hour.

501 Shirley Plantation Rd. Charles City

Get In Touch

800-829-5121

https://www.shirleyplantation.com

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The History Mom

Making history your story

Shirley Plantation (Virginia)

Shirley Plantation

One of the oldest homes and farms in America sits along the James River near Richmond, Virginia. Shirley Plantation was founded in 1613, just 6 short years after the English settlement at Jamestown was established. It has a rich and varied history that spans hundreds of years, from colonial times to the Civil War to its recent past. Still owned by the family who began farming the land in 1638, Shirley Plantation is a great place to visit with your family to learn more about colonial life, including the settlers, Native Americans, indentured servants, and enslaved workers. 

Shirley Plantation was part of a royal land grant given to the Virginia colony’s first royal governor, Sir Thomas West, Baron de la Warr (where the state of Delaware gets its name!). He named the land after his wife, Lady Cessalye Sherley, and even though he died just 5 years after receiving the land grant, the name “Shirley” remained. The current owners can date their family’s work at Shirley to 1638 when Edward Hill acquired the land. The Hill family merged with the legendary Carter family in 1723, and the current owners are the 11th and 12th generations of the Hill Carter family. 

During the American Revolution, the British Army passed by Shirley several times, including Benedict Arnold’s landing at nearby Westover Plantation. As the country moved towards Civil War, Shirley and its inhabitants played a prominent role. Gen. Robert E. Lee’s mother grew up at Shirley, and his son’s wedding took place in its parlor. The nearby Battle of Malvern Hill in July 1862 resulted in heavy Union casualties, many of which ended up coming through Shirley’s land to be shipped down the James River. The grounds were covered in wounded men, and the Hill Carter women joined in nursing and feeding the men. Their work prompted Union General McClellan to issue a Federal safeguard to protect Shirley throughout the war.

The current home at Shirley dates to 1738, and its first floor remains mostly in its original state. The outbuildings are original as well and include the kitchen house and laundry. It’s still a working farm today, growing soybeans among other crops. This makes it the oldest family-owned business in North America! See more about Shirley’s history here .

Shirley Plantation is located along Virginia’s scenic Route 5, which links Richmond and Williamsburg, and fronts the James River. A unique way to visit the property is through the Virginia Capital Trail . There is plenty of onsite parking (be sure to take your children to the restroom immediately after parking – the only ones available while touring are located behind the parking lot). Visit the Dovecote while you are walking to the restrooms!

Your family can do a self-guided grounds tour or a guided tour of the interior. If you plan to do the interior tour, you will want to purchase your tour tickets ahead of time to ensure availability, especially during the COVID-19 restrictions. If you’re doing the grounds tour, there is an honor box in which to pay your fee. 

The grounds tour is self-guided using a map and the UniGuide app . Be sure to download this app before you arrive and follow the numbered signs which correspond to the app’s tour.

After leaving the parking lot, you will encounter several outbuildings that are open for tours, including the storehouse, ice house, kitchen, and laundry. There are exhibits in each building, and you can learn more about the buildings through the UniGuide app tour. 

Don’t miss the kitchen house, which has two rooms to explore.

The first room to your left as you enter discusses the enslaved people’s experience at Shirley. While a difficult subject matter, it is handled in a delicate way and is appropriate for children. 

Your kids will be interested in the exhibits in the center of the room, which include a turtle shell and eggs!

The second room in the kitchen house is the actual place where meals were cooked at Shirley. There is a great display of typical foods from the time period and a good written exhibit about how foods were prepared and served. 

The laundry dependency is where the visitor center/gift shop is located. Behind the building is a small patio and garden. Picnics are allowed on the grounds.

Don’t miss the smoke house.

The view of the stables from the gardens is beautiful!

Your kids will love the corn crib with its chickens!

Make your way back on the path to the Great House.

You’ll meet your guide on the porch if you’re doing the interior guided tour. If not, walk around the house to the riverfront side. It’s breathtaking! Several movies and TV shows have been filmed here, including the first episode of the AMC show Turn . 

The willow oak is a picturesque spot to take a picture or rest. It’s over 350 years old!

The view of the James River is majestic and takes you back in time. You can just imagine how it would have been for those first English settlers to step on the land from the river.

If you’re doing the guided tour, the 25-minute tour will start on the porch facing the parking lot.

The tour will take you through the rooms on the first floor of the home, all restored to how they appeared in the 18th century. Photos aren’t allowed so you’ll definitely have to visit it yourself to see!

The foyer is large, and its showstopper is the flying staircase. The mouldings are exquisite and different throughout the house and show the skilled labor that it took to build the house. Kids will like seeing the vents in the floors, which allowed for heating before indoor heating was invented!

The rooms you’ll see include a first floor bedroom, elegant parlor, and formal dining room. All of the rooms have formal portraits of past family members and beautiful period decor. Since the same family has owned the home for 12 generations, the pieces are mostly original. 

We loved hearing the stories about the family over the years and the important events that occurred in the home. It was also neat to see the youngest members of the family, currently preschoolers, included in the pictures of the owners of the home. It really is still a family home!

The docents do a good job of including stories about the indentured servants and enslaved workers who toiled at the property. A lone remaining slave cabin is still standing but is not on property. There is a special enslavement walking tour that is held on certain dates where you can learn more about their lives at Shirley.

Shirley Plantation is a place where you can step back in time to the earliest days of Virginia. From Native Americans to the colonists to the enslaved Africans, this land has been the home to a variety of families and events in its over 400 years of history. During the month of December, the home is beautifully decorated for the holidays, which makes it a great time to visit with your family!

Helpful Hints:

• Guided tour: $20/adults; $12.50/youth ages 7-16; free/6 and under (special pricing due to COVID-19 restrictions)
• Grounds tour: $11/adults; $7.50/youth ages 7-16; free/6 and under 
• Guided tour: ages 10 and up
• Grounds tour: all ages
• Guided tour: 25 minutes 
• Grounds tour: 30 – 45 minutes
• Gift shop located in laundry house
• Transportation: Accessible by car only (or via bike on the Virginia Capital Trail )
• Dining options: The grounds are open for picnics. The adjacent Upper Shirley Vineyards is one of our favorite places and has amazing views of the James River itself.
• Nearby hotels: I recommend staying in Richmond or Williamsburg , both of which have many family-friendly hotel options.  If you want to stay in a local bed and breakfast, Edgewood Plantation , is a nearby option.
• Nearby attractions include: Berkeley Plantation , Historic Westover , Sherwood Forest , and Virginia Capit a l Trail

Books to Read:

All links are affiliate links.

• Courage at Home and Abroad (available at Shirley’s gift shop)
• The River Where America Began
• Plantations of Virginia
• Richmond and the State of Virginia: Cool Stuff Every Kid Should Know  
• Goo d Night Virginia

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• 18th century
• 19th century

Published by Jayda Justus, The History Mom

Jayda B. Justus is the creator/writer of the blog, The History Mom, where she provides detailed reviews of US and European historical sites for families with corresponding book recommendations. She loves interacting with the bookish world on Instagram as @thehistorymom, especially #bookstagram, and has appeared as a guest on several podcasts, blogs, and media outlets. Her favorite genres to read are historical fiction and nonfiction, but she also loves contemporary and historical romance and women’s fiction. Hailing from the historic town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, she is a former legislative director for a Member of Congress and now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family where she spends her days working on her first novel. Visit her at The History Mom (https://thehistorymom.com). View all posts by Jayda Justus, The History Mom

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We are interested in the names/dates of slaves, their families, burial locations, and any who were finally freed. If freed, did they receive anything. Where they were housed, lived, and type of food given. We are descendants of Andersons and Evans tracing our ancestors.

I’m sure the staff at Shirley would love to help you. Reach out to them and be sure to visit to learn more. Best of luck on your research.

What is the presentation of enslaved persons at Shirley Plantation currently? Is it accurate and ethically responsible?

I thought it was handled well during my tour. They have a specific tour focused on the enslaved as well.

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Historic Shirley Plantation Along The James River In Virginia

The Great House at Shirley Plantation

The seventh stop in our series Off The Beaten Path , brings travelers to the James River in Virginia. Along this historic watercourse are a number of colonial mansions, that were built in the period before the United States became an independent nation. Among the oldest is Shirley Plantation, the senior active landed estate in Virginia, having started operations there in 1638.

Shirley Plantation also has the distinction of being the oldest family-owned business in North America , dating back to 1614. This is a mere seven years, after the first English settlers arrived in Jamestown in 1607. The history of the estate, now spans over four centuries.

The brick outbuildings built in 1723, form a unique Queen Anne style looking courtyard. As these other smaller structures seem to frame the mansion, it adds to the majesty of the main house.

Included in the collection of buildings are a large two-story kitchen, with living quarters for slaves, and a two-story laundry house, also with quarters for living.

The Shirley Plantation dovecote

In addition, there is a stable, a storehouse, a smokehouse and dovecote. One of the two barns has an ice cellar beneath it. The latter, is the only remaining example of this building method in the United States .

Construction on the present day Georgian mansion, was begun in 1723. It features the pineapple throughout the woodwork, which was the Colonial symbol for hospitality. Unfortunately, the architect of the main building remains unknown.

The house was built with red brick walls and white trim boards, on a square foundation. The mansion does not really possess a front door, as the riverside and courtyard side entrances, have a two-story portico, with Doric columns supporting a pediment.

The entrance is located in the center, framed by a pair of long rectangular windows on each side.

The hipped roof rests on an entablature. This is a superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above the columns,resting on their capitals. At the Shirley mansion it contains dentil moldings.

The Shirley Plantation, c. 1900-1906. Photo by William Henry Jackson.

The roof is broken up by dormer windows and two large brick chimneys. In the center of the roof, is the famous white pedestal, supporting a finial of an overturned pineapple.

Encompassing over 700 riverfront acres, the property is still managed by direct decedents of the original owners. These are the tenth and eleventh generations of the Hills and Carters.

The mansion is considered an architectural wonder due to its flying staircase and hand-carved woodwork. The steps rise for three stories, without visible means of support. It is the only one of its kind in the United States .

Sir Thomas West, 3rd Baron De la Warr

The superior paneling and elegant wood carving throughout the house, are among the finest examples of 18th-century artisans.

Shirley Plantation remains a family home that today is filled with portraits, historical furniture, crested silver and endless memorabilia, associated with past occupants.

The lands embracing Shirley Plantation were first settled in 1613 by Sir Thomas West, 3 rd Baron De la Warr and were named West and Sherley Hundred.

In those days, the land was primarily cultivated for growing tobacco, to be used throughout British North America and to be shipped across the Atlantic, bound for England.

In 1638, a tract of land was granted to Edward Hill, which began the control by the Hill family.

Governor Berkeley baring his breast for Bacon to shoot after refusing him a commission

The original 450 acres (180 hectares) was expanded by both gradual acquisition and most importantly, through marriage.

The estate would eventually be inherited by Edward Hill II, who would be in charge during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676. The decision to back Governor William Berkeley, led to an attack on the plantation by rebels, who proceeded to ransack and plunder the place.

Shirley Plantation would pass on to Edward Hill III in 1700. His only son Edward IV, would die of consumption at 16, leaving no male heirs. His youngest daughter Elizabeth, would thus inherit the property in 1723. She was the wife of John Carter, eldest son of Robert King Carter.

Robert “King” Carter

The construction on the present day mansion known as the Great House, began that same year. It would be completed in 1738. The original nearby residence known Hill House , would remain until the late 1860s, when it would finally be demolished. The building materials would be used in the construction of another famous plantation house at Upper Shirley .

During the American Revolution, Shirley Plantation was a supply center for the Continental Army. Twice, it was a listening post for both opposing sides. It laid in the no-man’s land between Lafayette’s army at Malvern Hill and the British at City Point. The latter is today known as the town of Hopewell.

Henry Lee III, 9th Governor of Virginia

One of the most noteworthy family members born at Shirley Plantation, was Anne Hill Carter in 1773. She was the wife of the ninth governor of Virginia, Henry Lee III of the Stratford Plantation, known as Light-Horse Harry .

The couple were married in 1793, in the parlor of the mansion at Shirley. They were the parents of the famous Confederate General, Robert E. Lee. He has been recognized as one of the greatest American generals in history.

During the American Civil War, also known in the South as the War Between the States, the Shirley Plantation survived the Peninsular Campaign. In the later nearby struggle for Richmond, the Confederate capital, the mansion would again escape destruction.

General Robert E. Lee

The house remains largely in its original state . The upper floors are occupied by members of the eleventh generation of the Hill-Carter family. They are responsible for the running of the plantation, which is still in the private hands of the clan.

The bottom floor alone is open for touring , which allows visitors a glimpse of American life in the centuries before the modern era.

Many famous individuals have visited and even stayed at the Shirley Plantation. Over the generations, the members of the family have entertained the Byrds, the Harrisons, not to mention President Thomas Jefferson and even George Washington. The list of illustrious Virginians who have visited the plantation, is quite extensive.

Location Shirley Plantation is located at 501 Shirley Plantation Road in Charles City, Virginia. The Zip-code is 23030-2907. The phone number is (800) 232-1613

Admission Tickets are to be purchased in the gift shop, before you begin your tour of the grounds .

The gift shop has many unique items related to the plantation.

Adults will be charged $12.50 USD ( United States Dollar ). Seniors (age 60+) are admitted for $11.50.

AAA members with a valid card, are eligible to buy a ticket for $11.00. Active Duty and Veteran U.S. military and their spouses, are admitted for $10.00, with a valid identification.

For those aged 7-16 admittance is $8.50, with AAA/Military Youth charged $8.00. Ages 6 and under, are allowed in for free.

Special rates apply for groups of ten members or more, but reservations will be required. These must be made at least one week prior of arrival, to receive the group rate.

Shirley Plantation property can be made available for corporate functions, special events and weddings. Your contact e-mail for these type of requests, is Anne Hale at [email protected]

Further information is accessible in the special events section of the Shirley Plantation Website. http://www.shirleyplantation.com/

Amenities include free parking, restrooms, with snacks and drinks being sold in the gift shop. 

Photography Visitors may take photographs or make illustrations of the buildings, gardens and grounds as they wish, but it must be for personal use only. No such accommodations are permitted inside the Great House.

How To Get There Shirley Plantation is located 29.4 miles (47.3 kilometers) southeast from Richmond via I-64 East and Virginia 5 East. It will take about 34 minutes in normal traffic, to reach the plantation from the state capital.

Days and Hours of Operations

The Shirley Plantation is open daily for 363 days a year, with a summer schedule (April 15 to November 15) from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, with the last tour beginning at 4:00 pm. The grounds close at 5:00 pm. Tours take place at 10:00 am, 11:00 am,  12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

Hours of operation are shorter during colder months.

Tours of the Great House will take visitors about 35-40 minutes. The rest of the tour is self guided and will take about 30 additional minutes.

The attraction is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Is available in the nearby community of Charles City, which is located 12 miles (19.3 kilometers) east of the plantation, on Virginia Highway 5 East. It will take approximately 17 minutes to traverse the distance.

I have found out that one of my ancestors was an indentured servant on the Shirley plantation. He came from England in 1620 at the age of 18. He came with the Berkeley Company and was first sent to Berkeley after the Indian raids got so bad he went to Shirley. I wish I could go there, but at my age I probably can only dream. Thank you for the wonderful website. He did complete his servitude and received his land that I have information on, location ect. Thank You Martha

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Historic Shirley

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

Historic Shirley - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• (9.90 km) Best Western Plus Hopewell Fort Lee
• (7.93 km) Hyatt Place Richmond/Chester
• (7.55 km) Residence Inn Richmond Chester
• (6.14 km) Townhouse OAK Brij Inn
• (12.79 km) Courtyard by Marriott Richmond Chester
• (0.32 km) Upper Shirley Vineyards
• (15.94 km) Cul's Courthouse Grille
• (5.30 km) The Boathouse at City Point
• (5.29 km) Saucy's Barbecue in Hopewell
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Places That Connect

Shirley plantation, charles city county, anita angelone.

• March 16, 2019

As you walk up the drive to the “Great House” on Shirley Plantation, it’s hard to miss the three-and-a-half-foot wooden pineapple on the roof. A symbol of hospitality, pineapples appear in the woodwork inside of the house as well — a fitting accent to a home that has been welcoming visitors for over four centuries.

Founded with a land grant in 1613, Shirley Plantation came under the ownership of the Hill Carter family in 1638, and has been in the family ever since. The current owners, Charles Hill and Lauren Carter, are the 11 th generation to live in the Great House and to welcome guests onto the 700-acre property.

Charles’ father was the first to open Shirley to daily tours, although records show that the property was a frequent destination for visitors even in colonial times. Guests since have numbered in the hundreds of thousands. It was inevitable that his father would open Shirley to the public, Charles says. “My father loved history, meeting people and sharing the heritage.”

That heritage starts with Shirley’s impressive architecture. Together, the Great House and its four remaining outbuildings form a symmetrical Queen Ann forecourt — the only one of its kind in the United States. Inside, on the main floor, a striking “flying staircase” — a staircase with no visible support — rises to the upper floors. The staircase is another architectural gem that is unique to the property.

Within the one-of-a-kind structures lies another heritage: the Great House, along with its remaining outbuildings, were built over the course of 15 years, starting in 1723, by slave labor.

“Before I came on board with the foundation, slavery at Shirley wasn’t talked about. It made people uncomfortable,” Lauren Carter says. “But to give a true history of a place you need to talk about everyone who played a part in it, from the first indentured servants to the enslaved and freed workers. These buildings wouldn’t even be standing if it weren’t for them. It’s everyone’s history.”

Exhibits within the intact storehouse and kitchen now testify to all the lives lived here, and are part of a walking tour in and around the buildings that highlights slaves’ daily lives: how and where they worked and lived, how many of them lived on the property at a given time, and what happened after they were freed.

On a separate tour of the Great House, visitors walk through the first-floor rooms, learning about the house’s unique architecture, and stopping in front of the family portraits that line the walls. As a guide tells the story of each ancestor’s stewardship of the farm, visitors may even hear the 12 th generation of Hill Carters, Lauren and Charles’ toddlers, running across the hardwood floors upstairs.

For this family, history is embedded in daily life. “You feel their presence for sure, with all those portraits looking at you!” Lauren says. “Our two-year-old daughter always walks by them and says, ‘Hi people!’

“But you also feel this weight of carrying yourself honorably. Of taking care of this place. We think of ourselves as the stewards, not the owners. It’s a great privilege but also a lot of work.”

Preserving for the future while safeguarding the past informs everything the Hill Carters do on the property. The family’s latest project is replanting the “Sun Garden” near the house with native plants that attract pollinators. “It can be done beautifully and is period appropriate,” Lauren says. “And it’s a way of showing people the need for these plants.”

To help ensure protection of the family legacy on the property, Charles donated a conservation easement on the core part of the farm–126 acres that contain the historic buildings and gardens–to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Department of Historic Resources in 2006.

Charles says, “The conservation easement made sense for the long term.  At the time of the easement, real estate was booming and it did not take much to see that, eventually, there would be a time when development came to the area around Shirley.

“No one wants to see un-complimentary land uses here, now or in the future, and the easement takes that off the table.”

Guided tours of the first floor of the house are offered for a fee, reservations recommended. Walking tours focusing on the lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked on the plantation are offered on select days and are complimentary with admission.

The grounds are open for self-guided tours daily from 9:30 to 4:30 for a fee. Grounds admission will be discounted until March 8.

Audio tours are available to download on your smart phone, and there is an interactive game for children that leads them from building to building with puzzles and explorative activities. A nature walk also leads visitors around the property to observe the  plants and animals on the farm.

Guided Tours of the “Great House” are $25 per adult and $17 per youth age 7-16, with a discount available for military, AAA, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. To book a tour, email  [email protected] , or call 804-829-5121.

The next walking tours will be on Saturday, February 28th at 1pm and 3pm.

For more information on visiting the Shirley Plantation, visit  http://www.shirleyplantation.com .

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my friend’s families, the Toney’s and Binfords were part of this plantation but they were “owned” by Thomas Binford. Would thomas be an owner or overseer of these families. Would he live there.

Hi, Karan, We don’t have that information here, but the Carters would be happy to talk to you about what they know. You can use the contact information in the article above to get in touch with them.

Are any of the homes that slaves lived in still standing? Where were the slaves buried?

Hi Latanya, according to Shirley Plantation’s website in the FAQs, there are no longer homes that slaves lived in still on the property, though there is apparently a remaining cabin on a neighboring property. Their site doesn’t address cemeteries, but I would encourage you to reach out to the Carter family using the contact info in the article to learn more.

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