Shirley Plantation

Charles City County, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Shirley Plantation is an estate on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia, built in the Greek Revival architectural style. Settled in 1613 and acquired by the Hill family in 1638, it stands as Virginia's oldest active plantation and the oldest continuously operating family business in North America. Initially reliant on white indentured servants, the plantation shifted to enslaved African labor in the early 1700s, employing approximately 70 to 90 enslaved people for agricultural work and domestic duties. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. Located off Virginia's scenic byway State Route 5 between Richmond and Williamsburg, it remains significant as both an architectural and historical landmark documenting colonial Virginia's economic and social foundations.

Movement

Greek Revival architecture

Type: plantation
Heritage: National Register of Historic Places listed place, Virginia Historic Landmark
Place: Charles City County, United States

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Location

37.35580, -77.24420