Eppington

Eppington is a historic plantation house near Winterpock, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Constructed around 1768 for Francis Eppes, the property is an example of Georgian domestic architecture and consists of a central two-and-a-half-story block with a hipped roof, dormers, a modillion cornice, and flanking one-story wings. A later two-story rear ell expanded the house. Two tall exterior end chimneys rise from the roofs of the wings, contributing to the property's distinctive appearance. The house was closely connected with the Eppes and Jefferson families. Francis Eppes was both the brother-in-law and first cousin of Martha Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's wife. After Martha Jefferson's death, Francis Eppes and his wife, Elizabeth, helped raise Jefferson's daughters Mary and Lucy Elizabeth while Jefferson was serving as minister to France. Lucy Elizabeth died as a young child in 1784 and was buried at Eppington. Mary Jefferson later married her cousin John Wayles Eppes and spent significant time at the property. Eppington was an agricultural estate supported by enslaved labor. In 1790, records identified 124 enslaved people and two white overseers at the plantation. The domestic and agricultural landscape included a service yard, gardens, orchards, lawns, agricultural fields, and facilities for food processing and household work. An early school building stood on the property by 1806; by the middle of the nineteenth century, it had been converted into a kitchen. The estate also became connected with transportation and agricultural commerce along the Appomattox River. Archibald Thweatt acquired Eppington through several purchases beginning in December 1812. The nearby Epps Falls presented a navigational obstacle, and in 1819 the Virginia General Assembly authorized arrangements involving Thweatt and the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System. A dam and locks were permitted around the falls, and Thweatt and his heirs received authorization to build a grist mill on the dam. Once the canal system was completed, neighboring farmers used docks at Eppington to ship agricultural produce. Coal from the Clover Hill pits was also transported to the docks, first by mule and later by rail, before being carried by boat to Petersburg. Eppington was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. The property is significant as an architectural landmark and as a site associated with the Eppes, Jefferson, and Thweatt families, plantation agriculture, slavery, river transportation, canal development, milling, and regional commerce in central Virginia. It is not documented in the supplied sources as a commercial consumer brand.

Eppington was built around 1768 near Winterpock in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Its builder, Francis Eppes, belonged to a prominent Virginia family and was connected by both marriage and kinship to Martha Jefferson, the wife of Thomas Jefferson. Following Martha Jefferson's death, Eppes and his wife, Elizabeth, cared for Jefferson's younger daughters, Mary and Lucy Elizabeth, while Jefferson was serving as a diplomat in France. Eppington therefore became part of the extended family and social network surrounding the Jeffersons. Lucy Elizabeth died in 1784 at the age of two and was buried at the property. Mary Jefferson later married her cousin John Wayles Eppes in 1797 and spent much of her time at Eppington. The house was built in the Georgian style. Its principal section is a three-bay, two-and-a-half-story block with a hipped roof, dormers, and a modillion cornice. One-story wings flank the central block, while a two-story rear ell was added later. Tall exterior end chimneys rise from the roofs of the wings. The surrounding property included gardens, orchards, lawns, agricultural fields, and service areas. The Eppes family also showed an interest in natural history and agriculture. Their daughters recorded seasonal crop activity and natural observations, including the arrival and song of eastern whip-poor-wills. The family sent samples of American trees and agricultural products to Jefferson in France at his request. Eppington's economy depended substantially on enslaved labor. A 1790 record listed 124 enslaved people and two white overseers on the estate. The service yard supported domestic production and maintenance, including smoking ham, milking cows, churning butter, and drawing water. The arrangement of the grounds separated work areas associated with enslaved field labor from the more visible gardens, orchards, and lawns near the house. An educational building existed on the property by 1806. By the mid-nineteenth century, that structure had been converted into a kitchen, replacing an earlier kitchen building. Archibald Thweatt began acquiring Eppington through multiple purchases in December 1812. During his ownership, the estate was connected to local transportation, milling, and agricultural trade. Epps Falls, located at Eppington, was considered hazardous for boats. In 1819, the Virginia General Assembly addressed the falls by allowing the Upper Appomattox Canal company to construct a dam and locks around them. Thweatt and his heirs were also authorized to build a grist mill on the dam. Thweatt raised Merino sheep for wool and participated in a land arrangement intended to preserve the right-of-way road between Richmond and Petersburg. The Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System eventually enabled neighboring farmers to move produce through docks at Eppington. The estate developed substantial loading facilities. Coal extracted from the Clover Hill pits beginning in 1837 was transported by mule and subsequently by rail to the docks at Epps Falls. Boats then carried the coal to Petersburg; one reported service involved a seven-ton boat making a four-day round trip for $2.38. Rail service to the docks was later discontinued after the Clover Hill Railroad reached the James River, although rail access was restored when the Brighthope Railway was extended in 1881. Eppington was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. Its significance encompasses Georgian architecture, the history of the Eppes, Jefferson, and Thweatt families, plantation slavery, agricultural production, canal and river transportation, milling, and the commercial movement of regional produce and coal. The available sources describe Eppington as a historic property and do not establish it as a conventional consumer brand.

• 1969

  National Register listing

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  Eppington was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1881

  Brighthope Railway expansion

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  Rail service to the docks was later restored when the successor Brighthope Railway was expanded.

• 1837

  Coal movement through Eppington

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  Coal began being mined at the Clover Hill pits and was moved toward the Eppington docks for shipment.

• 1819

  Canal and mill arrangements at Epps Falls

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  The Virginia General Assembly authorized a dam and locks around Epps Falls for the Upper Appomattox Canal company and allowed Thweatt and his heirs to build a grist mill on the dam.

• 1812

  Archibald Thweatt began acquiring Eppington

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  Archibald Thweatt acquired the estate through several purchases beginning in December.

• 1806

  School building documented

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  A school building was present on the property by this date and was later converted into a kitchen.

• 1790

  Recorded plantation population

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  A record listed 124 enslaved people and two white overseers at Eppington, documenting the estate's reliance on enslaved labor.

• 1784

  Burial of Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson, one of Thomas Jefferson's younger daughters, died at age two and was buried at Eppington.

• 1768

  Construction of Eppington

  [1]Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org

  Francis Eppes constructed the Georgian plantation house near Winterpock in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Historic architectural and cultural property rather than a documented commercial brand.

1. 1Eppingtonen.wikipedia.org