Scotchtown (plantation)
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Patrick Henry's Scotchtown
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Scotchtown Plantation
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| Location | 10 mi. NW of Ashland on VA 685, Ashland, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 37°50′39.7″N 77°35′4.4″W / 37.844361°N 77.584556°WCoordinates: 37°50′39.7″N 77°35′4.4″W / 37.844361°N 77.584556°W |
| Area | 41 acres (170,000 m2) |
| Built | after 1717, expanded ca. 1760s |
| Architectural style | Georgian/first period colonial |
| NRHP reference # | 66000835 |
| VLR # | 042-0030 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 21, 1965 |
| Designated VLR | September 9, 1969 |
Scotchtown is a plantation located in Hanover County, Virginia, that from 1771–1778 was owned and used as a residence by Patrick Henry, his wife Sarah and their children. He was a revolutionary and elected in 1778 as the first Governor of Virginia. The house is located in Beaverdam, Virginia, 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Ashland, Virginia on VA 685. The house, at 93 feet (28 m) by 35 feet (11 m), is one of the largest 18th-century homes to survive in the Americas. In its present configuration, it has eight substantial rooms on the first floor surrounding a central passage, with a full attic above and English basement with windows below. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
The house is owned and managed by Preservation Virginia, which operates a number of other historic properties across the Commonwealth, including the John Marshall House, the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse, Bacon's Castle, and Historic Jamestowne.
The Scotchtown property was given as a land grant to Charles Chiswell, a prominent planter and iron mine owner, in 1717. Chiswell built a small house on the property, probably in the 1720s. It was expanded to its present size around 1760. It was first given the name "Scotch Town" in a 1757 deed of sale. At this time the house also was used as a store that bought and sold local tobacco.
Patrick Henry purchased the house in 1771 and lived there with his wife, Sarah Shelton Henry, and their six children. This was his home during his most influential period, including his famous "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!" speech at St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. It was also his residence when he was elected Governor of Virginia in 1776. His wife Sarah, who suffered from mental illness, died at the site in 1775. He resided at Scotchtown until 1777. That year he married his second wife and in 1778 they relocated, after his election, to the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg.
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