Endview Plantation Historic Site

Endview Plantation, historically known as Harwood Plantation, is an eighteenth-century plantation house and historic site in the Lee Hall community of Newport News, Virginia. The property stands along Virginia State Route 238, a route that follows the historic Great Warwick Road, which connected Williamsburg, Hampton, and the wider Hampton Roads region during the colonial period. The house was built in 1769 by William Harwood, a prominent local landowner and political figure. Harwood represented Warwick County in the House of Burgesses and later participated in Virginia's Revolutionary-era political conventions. His family had an established presence in the county, and the property became associated with both local political life and the agricultural economy of colonial Virginia. The site's history includes the use of enslaved labor, an essential and difficult part of interpreting plantation life in the region. War also shaped the property's importance. During the American Revolutionary War, Harwood's political alignment with the patriot cause brought military activity to the plantation. On September 28, 1781, Virginia militia forces under General Thomas Nelson Jr. used the property as a resting place while moving toward Yorktown, shortly before the British surrender under Lord Cornwallis. The conflict and its aftermath contributed to economic disruption and population decline in Warwick County. Poor agricultural practices and wartime devastation weakened the local economy, while members of the Harwood family relocated westward, including to the area that later became Shelbyville, Kentucky. Before the American Civil War, Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis Jr. acquired the property. Curtis was one of only two physicians practicing in Warwick County at the time. In 1861, he organized an eighty-member volunteer infantry company called the Warwick Beauregards and served as its captain. The company eventually became part of the 32nd Virginia Infantry Regiment and took part in thirteen battles. Curtis was also a slaveholder, and the property reflects the region's dependence on slavery before emancipation. During the April 1862 Battle of Dam Number One, part of the Peninsula Campaign, Confederate forces used Endview as a field hospital. This Civil War association is central to the site's current public interpretation. Warwick County was annexed by Newport News in the 1950s, and the city acquired the Endview property in 1995. Restoration work removed a post-Civil War addition and reconstructed a missing chimney, returning the house's exterior to an appearance associated with approximately 1860. The site is now operated as a public historic attraction by the independent city of Newport News. Its interpretation emphasizes domestic life, military history, medical care, and the changing social order surrounding the plantation. Visitors can tour four furnished interior rooms, including spaces presenting medical supplies, a conventional parlor, Union soldier equipment, and a bedroom. The site also hosts living-history programs and reenactments. Its principal Civil War program is presented under the name The Civil War at Endview: A Living History Museum, while Revolutionary War interpretation is also offered during selected events. Annual Civil War reenactments and periodically scheduled Siege of Yorktown programs form part of the site's event calendar. As of spring 2023, public access had been reduced to Thursday through Saturday, with additional seasonal closures during winter; hours may change as city programming and preservation needs evolve. Endview has also appeared in popular media, including an episode of Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, in which a paranormal investigation was conducted. The investigators reported unusual recordings but did not establish that the property was haunted.

Endview Plantation was established as Harwood Plantation in the colonial era. William Harwood built the surviving house in 1769 beside the Great Warwick Road, an important route between Williamsburg, Hampton, and Hampton Roads. Harwood was active in Warwick County politics, serving in the House of Burgesses and in Virginia's Revolutionary political bodies. The plantation operated within an agricultural system dependent on enslaved labor, and that history is part of the property's modern interpretation. During the Revolutionary War, the house and surrounding grounds were used by military forces. On September 28, 1781, General Thomas Nelson Jr.'s Virginia militia stopped at the property while traveling toward Yorktown. This occurred shortly before the British surrender led by Lord Cornwallis. After the war, Warwick County suffered from wartime destruction, declining agricultural conditions, and population loss. Harwood's eldest son William moved with family members to the region of present-day Shelbyville, Kentucky, contributing to the decline of the family's local political prominence. Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis Jr. later acquired the property before the Civil War. Curtis was a leading medical figure in Warwick County and one of only two doctors serving the county. In 1861, he formed the Warwick Beauregards, an eighty-man volunteer infantry company, and became its captain. The company later served within the 32nd Virginia Infantry Regiment and participated in thirteen battles. Curtis was also a slaveholder. During the April 1862 Battle of Dam Number One, Confederate troops used Endview as a field hospital. The battle was part of the Peninsula Campaign and occurred roughly a month before the inconclusive Battle of Williamsburg. Warwick County became part of Newport News in the 1950s. The city acquired Endview in 1995 and undertook preservation work, including demolition of a later addition and reconstruction of a missing chimney. These changes were intended to restore the structure's appearance to an approximately 1860 period. The property subsequently developed as a public historic site and museum, with programming centered on both the Revolutionary and Civil War periods. The house museum presents four interior rooms containing period-oriented displays and interpretive material. Exhibits include medical supplies, a parlor, Union soldier equipment, and a bedroom. Special events bring reenactors to the site, while ordinary tours may operate without reenactors. The site has held annual Civil War reenactments and has resumed presenting Siege of Yorktown reenactments on a bi-annual basis. It is also formally promoted as The Civil War at Endview: A Living History Museum. Public hours have varied; information available for spring 2023 described a Thursday-to-Saturday schedule with additional winter closures. Endview has received broader popular exposure through its appearance on the television program Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, where a paranormal investigation produced purported electronic voice recordings but no definitive finding that the property was haunted.

• 2023

  Reduced public operating schedule reported

  [1]Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  As of spring 2023, the site was reported as open to the public Thursday through Saturday, with additional winter closures.

• 1995

  Newport News acquires Endview

  [1]Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The City of Newport News acquired the plantation property and developed it as a public historic site.

• 1950

  Warwick County incorporated into Newport News

  [1]Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Newport News acquired Warwick County during the period of postwar municipal consolidation; the source describes this change as occurring in the 1950s.

• 1862

  Property used as a Civil War field hospital

  [1]Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Confederate troops used Endview as a field hospital during the Battle of Dam Number One in the Peninsula Campaign.

• 1861

  Warwick Beauregards organized

  [1]Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis Jr. organized an eighty-member volunteer infantry company that later served with the 32nd Virginia Infantry Regiment.

• 1781

  Revolutionary War military stop

  [1]Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Virginia militia commanded by General Thomas Nelson Jr. used the property as a resting place on September 28 while moving toward Yorktown.

• 1769

  House built by William Harwood

  [1]Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  William Harwood constructed the plantation house along the Great Warwick Road in what was then Warwick County, Virginia.

A municipally operated cultural-heritage and living-history destination interpreting colonial plantation life, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the military history of the Virginia Peninsula.

• Historic house museum

  Endview Plantation House Museum

  The principal visitor attraction is the restored eighteenth-century house. Four interior rooms are interpreted through displays associated with domestic life, medicine, military service, and period furnishings. The restoration removed a post-Civil War addition and rebuilt a chimney to present the building in an appearance associated with approximately 1860.

• Living-history program

  The Civil War at Endview: A Living History Museum

  This program frames Endview as a Civil War interpretation site. It draws on the property's connection to Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis Jr., the Warwick Beauregards, the 32nd Virginia Infantry, and the use of the plantation as a field hospital during the Battle of Dam Number One.

• Heritage event

  Civil War reenactments

  Endview has hosted annual Civil War reenactments that use interpreters and reenactors to present military and civilian dimensions of the conflict. Reenactors are generally associated with special events rather than routine house tours.

• Heritage event

  Siege of Yorktown reenactments

  The site has resumed presenting reenactments related to the Siege of Yorktown on a bi-annual basis, connecting Endview's local history with the 1781 campaign that culminated in the British surrender.

• Annual Civil War Reenactments

  Newport News · Virginia

  Recurring public events use living-history interpretation to explore the Civil War period and Endview's role as a military site and field hospital.

  Outcome. The events remain part of the site's public programming.

  Source
• Siege of Yorktown Living-History Events

  Newport News · Virginia

  Endview has restarted bi-annual reenactments focused on the Siege of Yorktown and the Revolutionary War context of the property.

  Outcome. The program provides a recurring Revolutionary War interpretation alongside the site's Civil War focus.

  Source

1. 1Endview Plantationen.wikipedia.org