22-RICHMOND, VIRGINIA-PART 3: SCOTCHTOWN AND MORE OF PATRICK HENRY

The grandkids were in school so we once again headed down country back roads not far from Richmond to find Scotchtown. That was the name of another of Patrick Henry’s homes and this one proved to be quite interesting.

This is one of those places that you “have to be going there to get there.” In other words… its tough to find. 

I put the address in my GPS and it simply responded with, “Huh??? Never heard of it!”  So we were pretty much on our own and headed in the general direction of where it was supposed to be. Finally we began seeing signs and found the location of Scotchtown.

Scotchtown was best known as the site from which Patrick Henry rode to Richmond in March 1775 to give his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. He and his family lived here from about 1771 to 1776 when Henry was appointed Governor and relocated to Williamsburg.

This house, although not ornate, was at least big, or at least big compared to the tiny one at Red Hill (see an earlier blog). A good thing, too, since Patrick Henry had a whole passel of kids that would have packed even this house very full.

Our tour guide was a nice little lady who, in a very down-homey fashion, gave us a lots of information about Scotchtown.

The first thing she showed us was the ice house.

Inside the door was this pit. It was 27 feet deep.  The building just set over the top of it. 

Since there was really no ice in the area, they put meat and other things needing refrigeration on a shelf and lowered it by a pulley down toward the bottom where the temperature stayed at around 42 degrees. (About the same temp as your refrigerator.) It kept things cool year round.


We have seen many of these “ice houses” at various heritage homes, (as it was the only method of refrigeration) but have never seen one this deep. It must have served the family quite well.

The back of the house looked pretty much the same as the front. This is where we entered the house to begin the tour. The back of the house was in pretty good shape, but the front was very much in need of paint and repair.

We entered the root cellar from the outside of the house. There was an indoor stairway leading to the cellar but it was so incredibly steep, I couldn’t see how anyone could use them.

The house was completely furnished which was refreshing and interesting. Most things were period pieces and a few pieces actually belonged to Patrick Henry. Of course, it was another instance of, “No pictures allowed.”

Oh, no. Not again??!! …Yup!!

The kitchen in most of these old homes is a separate building, removed from the main house because so many of them caught fire and burned the entire house to the ground. So, of course, this one was back behind the house. 

I kept thinking of the terrible inconvenience of cooking and serving food in the dead of winter.

Out in front of the house was a gate that looked across a meadow out to a second gate in the distance where the original road passed the house. That road no longer exists.

Don always likes to buy books about the famous person who resided in the home at the little gift shop that all of these historic homes have. 

After our tour here, he perused the book shelf of numerous Patrick Henry books and chose one to buy. When we got back to the motorhome, he discovered that he had already purchased that exact book when we were at Patrick Henry’s other home, Red Hill.

If you are looking for a good book on Patrick Henry, Don will no doubt make you a deal.

There was more to see in Richmond itself, so we headed back into town and went to …

St. John’s Episcopal Church…Where Patrick Henry gave his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, March 23, 1775.

I was excited as we walked up to the church. It looked like Patrick Henry himself and some of compatriots were already there. 

We hurried up to the door, only to have it literally closed in our faces with, “I’m sorry. This is a private reenactment.” What a bummer that was! We would have loved to have gotten in on that!


There was, of course, a cemetery that completely covered the grounds around the church, so we walked through that.

Buried in the cemetery is Elizabeth Poe, mother of the famous poet, Edgar Allen Poe.

Also, buried there is George Wythe (1726-1806).  I found his history to be fascinating.

He was an American lawyer, a Virginia judge, and a prominent opponent of slavery. He was the first law professor in the United States and a noted classical scholar in Virginia.  He taught and was a mentor to Thomas Jefferson and other men who became Virginia leaders. 

He was the first of the seven Virginia signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

Opposed to slavery, Wythe freed all his own slaves beginning in 1787. As a judge he tried to end slavery in Virginia by judicial interpretation.

When Wythe died, it was believed that he had been murdered by arsenic poisoning by his grandnephew, George Wythe Sweeney.

Historians believe that Sweeney was trying to kill Lydia Broadnax, Whythe’s housekeeper, and Michael Brown, a 16-year-old mixed-race boy, to whom Wythe had made bequests in his will. Brown died a week before Wythe, but Broadnax survived.

As blacks were prevented by law of the time from testifying at trials against whites, Broadnax and other black servants could not tell about having seen Sweeney’s suspicious actions. The all-white jury acquitted him but Wythe had changed his will before his death and disinherited him.

Among all the very old historic grave markers were these that I call, “Coffee Table” grave markers. They were made of stone, had four decorative legs and then a “table-top” with all the pertinent information of the person who had died. I’ve never seen these anywhere else.

What was even more odd was that on a couple of them in the back row of this picture, the top was warped. How does stone warp?? Who knows, but it was interesting.

This tree was in the cemetery and was a brilliant gold.

Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond (named for the holly trees growing throughout) is a place rich in history. Many famous people are interred there.

Hollywood Cemetery sits high on a hill overlooking the James River.

This cemetery is filled with old, ornate monuments to those who have gone before.

Then there is President’s Circle….

This is the grave of President James Monroe.

This monument marks the grave site of President John Tyler.

Family members were also buried around the president’s graves.

Hollywood Cemetery is also the resting place of the only Confederate states President, Jefferson Davis, along with 25 Confederate Generals, including George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart.  

In 1869 a 90-foot high granite pyramid was built as a memorial to the more than 18,000 enlisted men of the Confederate Army who are buried in the cemetery. 

Next Blog: Tredegar Iron Works, The Confederate White House and Museum of the Confederacy

21-RICHMOND, VIRGINIA-PART 2: WILLIAMSBURG and WESTOVER CHURCH

We had been to Williamsburg a few years ago, and wanted to go back. We had only a few hours to spend there and although it deserves a visit of a couple days, we take what we can get.

The fall colors on the drive from Richmond to Williamsburg were themselves, totally enjoyable and a promise of more to come.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that as I write these “catch up” blogs, we are on the way home? My knees have gotten really bad. Walking has become very difficult and painful and climbing stairs just can’t happen for me anymore.

Plan A was to continue this trip to Florida to see friends and family, but as a friend said, “Pain always trumps plans.” So this is Plan B.

When I get home I will get a bright, shiny new knee in January and a second one a few months later. Then I’ll once again be running around like a 20-year-old… Well, maybe not.

OK, now back to Williamsburg.

The color in Williamsburg as we entered the Historic Section was spectacular.

As soon as we entered the main street, we noticed a large group of people, many in period dress, congregated in an open area out in front of the Governor's home.

There was a lot of shouting and speech-making going on. Getting there a bit late, we weren’t sure exactly what was going on.

A carriage drove down the street, oblivious to what was going on.

A couple black ladies near me talked between themselves about the unfairness of these men being upset over “freedom” when there were slaves sold at market here on a weekly basis.

The men had their own troops, drummer and fife player.

The Governor and his wife finally came out of their house…

…to discuss issues with the main rebel.  It seems the conflict was over the colony seeking freedom from England.

After a discussion between the two men, there was a bow and the Governor….

…and his wife returned to their home.

I wish we could have been there for the beginning to know more of the details, but at the same time were pleased to witness what we did.

From this point on, we wandered the streets of Williamsburg. If you have more time, like a day or preferably two, you can buy a ticket that gives you entrance to many of the buildings, performances, and artisans that demonstrate life in Williamsburg as it was back in the time of the Revolution. Since we didn’t have that much time, we passed on the tickets.

A church that still holds services is on the main street, and as is common in that part of the country, even today, there is a cemetery in the church yard.

This is a typical Williamsburg scene…

…the home and the carriage.

Here are some other scenes of Main Street. 

Not all buildings are white.

Some are brick and some of them are taverns (restaurants).

This is a typical Williamsburg scene, many people are in period costume all over town.

This building was a tavern where you could buy food or drink.

I suspect this one may have specialized in drink.

Many of the homes along Main Street are privately owned by the Park that owns Colonial Williamsburg and are rented out to employees who work here. Others are opened for the public to visit.

One building we were able to go into was the original Post Office/Store. Since back in the day, letters rarely arrived, they also sold an assortment of goods there as well.

We never knew what we would find around the next corner.

This was the Capitol Building for 75 years. It was here that Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act in May 1765.

On May 15, 1776, a Virginia Convention unanimously proposed that the Continental Congress “declare the United Colonies free and independent states.” On June 12, 1776, a Virginia Convention approved George Mason’s Declaration of Rights and on June 29 adopted the first constitution for the new Commonwealth of Virginia.

For lunch we went to the King’s Arms Tavern. The food was period style and wonderful. Don and I shared the best chicken pot pie ever. On the “Bill of Fare,” (Menu) it was listed as “Norfolk Pottage Pye.”

The coat of arms was on all the dishes.

The dining room was decorated in period pieces…

…and our waiter wore knee-high stockings…What more could we ask?? It was time to start back.

Once again as we drove the scenic route we saw a sign for historic Westover Church and turned in.

The church was a bit odd because it had no steeple, but of course there was an old cemetery in the church yard.

The church had been there since the 17th century. However,  it was defaced in the Campaign of 1862 and reopened for worship in 1867.

Next blog: Scotchtown (another of Patrick Henry’s homes) Hollywood Cemetery, and St. John’s Episcopal Church (“Give me liberty or give me death!”)