Chinqua Penn Plantation
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Chinqua-Penn Plantation
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| Location | NC 1998 N side, 0.2 miles W of jct. with NC 1987, near Reidsville, North Carolina |
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| Coordinates | 36°23′4″N 79°42′0″W / 36.38444°N 79.70000°WCoordinates: 36°23′4″N 79°42′0″W / 36.38444°N 79.70000°W |
| Area | 22.8 acres (9.2 ha) |
| Built | 1923 |
| Architect | Ingalls, Harry C.; Et al. |
| Architectural style | Eclectic |
| NRHP Reference # | 93000235 |
| Added to NRHP | April 8, 1993 |
Chinqua Penn Plantation is an English manor home mansion and national historic district near Reidsville, North Carolina in Rockingham County, (about 25 miles north of Greensboro, NC) and was built by Thomas Jefferson Penn ("Jeff", 1875–1946) and Margaret Beatrice Shoellkopf Penn ("Betsy", 1881–1965) in the 1920s. The name "Chinqua Penn" was derived from the chinquapin, a species of American chestnut that was once plentiful in the area.
Chinqua Penn Plantation ranks high among North Carolina's finest well-preserved early 20th century homes, including Reynolda House, and Duke Mansion.
After inheriting a portion of the Penn family tobacco interests, they relocated from Penn's Store, Patrick County, Virginia to North Carolina; Jeff Penn then augmented his fortune in stocks and bonds during the depression. He also operated a dairy husbandry and raised Holstein cattle. In later years he raised Black Angus. The Penn Tobacco Company was later purchased in 1911 by American Tobacco Company, the Duke family behemoth that made Lucky Strike cigarettes. The coats-of-arms above the picture window show the Penn family crest, as well as that of the Spencer family of Spencer, Virginia, to whom the Penns were related. Betsy's father was Arthur Schoellkopf, Chairman of the board of directors of Niagara Falls Power Company and Mayor of Niagara Falls, New York. Betsy Penn survived Jeff by nearly twenty years, during which time she became increasingly involved in philanthropic and community activities. She created the Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center on part of the estate. Most of the furnishings and art, showcasing 30 countries, were placed by the Penns.
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