Flowerdew Hundred Plantation
A historic Virginia plantation and archaeological site on the south bank of the James River, founded during the early English settlement of Virginia.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Flowerdew Hundred Plantation is a historic property on the south side of the James River in Prince George County, Virginia. Its documented colonial history begins in 1618 or 1619, when Sir George Yeardley, governor and captain general of Virginia, received a patent for approximately 1,000 acres. Yeardley appears to have named the holding for his father-in-law, Anthony Flowerdew; the associated family connection came through Yeardley's wife, Temperance Flowerdew, who belonged to the English gentry of Norfolk. The term “hundred” referred to an English territorial and settlement unit rather than to the number one hundred. The plantation became one of the more economically successful early Virginia settlements. Its population was about thirty in its earliest period, and its activities included tobacco cultivation, corn production, fishing, and livestock raising. By 1621, the property had a post windmill, generally described as the first windmill erected in English North America. The mill was reportedly financed by Yeardley at a cost of 120 pounds, possibly paid in the form of tobacco. The settlement survived the Powhatan attack of 1622 with six deaths, while several other early settlements were abandoned or severely disrupted. Its survival was aided by its fortified character and its position within the developing plantation economy along the James River. In 1624, Abraham Piersey, a senior Virginia Company merchant, acquired the property and it became known as Piersey's or Peircey's Hundred. The settlement's 1624 muster recorded roughly sixty residents, including some of the first Africans documented in Virginia. Archaeological work has identified evidence of an early fortified area and a stone house associated with the settlement. During the later seventeenth century, the plantation remained active and developed additional settlement areas. Flowerdew Towne was established downstream after the 1683 Advancement of Trade Act, although it did not become a successful commercial town. A ferry across the James River's Three Mile Reach was operating sometime after 1720, and an ordinary or tavern later served travelers. Ownership passed through the Poythress family and other holders. The property was affected by military activity during the American Revolutionary War in 1781, when forces commanded by Benedict Arnold shelled the area and disabled artillery near Hood's Fort before continuing toward Richmond. In the early nineteenth century, Petersburg merchant John Vaughn Willcox reassembled substantial portions of the original grant. After marrying the last Poythress heiress, Willcox acquired adjoining tracts and built a farmhouse in 1804 on high ground overlooking the James River bottomlands. Flowerdew Hundred also played a role in the Civil War. In June 1864, during the campaign against Petersburg, Union forces crossed the James River from Weyanoke to Flowerdew, then known as Wilcox Landing. The Army of the Potomac's engineers constructed a pontoon bridge in a single night. Three corps and a large supply train crossed over approximately three days on the way to City Point and the Siege of Petersburg. The crossing was regarded as the longest floating bridge constructed up to that time and retained that distinction until the Second World War. Archaeological investigations began in the late 1960s and continued through 1995. More than sixty archaeological sites have been identified within the original 1,000-acre grant, spanning Archaic-period Native American occupation, colonial settlement, plantation residences, ferry facilities, and twentieth-century homes. Excavations produced more than 500,000 artifacts, now held by the University of Virginia. Finds include a 1615 Prince of Orange medallion, one of only a small number known from archaeological contexts in North America. The Flowerdew Hundred Foundation was established in 1975 by David A. Harrison III. It operated a museum, guided tours, and a reconstructed English-style post windmill until closing in 2007. The commemorative windmill was dismantled and moved to the American Windmill Museum in Lubbock, Texas, in 2010. The historic property is now a private residence and remains recognized through historic and heritage trails, including the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the Civil War Overland Campaign Lee-Grant Trail, and the National Register of Historic Places.
History
Flowerdew Hundred was established on the south bank of the James River after Sir George Yeardley received a patent for 1,000 acres in 1618 or 1619. The name is generally linked to Yeardley's wife, Temperance Flowerdew, and her father, Anthony Flowerdew. The property was part of Virginia's first generation of privately held plantations and quickly developed an agricultural economy based on tobacco, supplemented by corn, fish, and livestock. The plantation had a population of about thirty in its early years and possessed a windmill by 1621. This English post mill is commonly identified as the first windmill built in English North America. Flowerdew Hundred survived the 1622 attack that devastated several other settlements, reportedly suffering six deaths. Its defensive organization and economic resources helped it remain an occupied plantation. Abraham Piersey acquired the property in 1624, after which it was often called Piersey's or Peircey's Hundred. The 1624 muster listed approximately sixty inhabitants, among them some of the earliest Africans recorded in Virginia. Piersey's Stone House, associated with the site, is regarded as an early example of a house built on a permanent foundation in the colony. During the remainder of the seventeenth century, the property supported additional settlements and continued to participate in the James River plantation economy. Flowerdew Towne was created downstream after the 1683 Advancement of Trade Act, but the town did not thrive. A ferry across Three Mile Reach was established sometime after 1720, with an ordinary or tavern later serving passengers. Different portions of the original holding passed through families including the Poythresses, and the property acquired additional names such as Selden's, Hood's, and Bellevue. The plantation was involved in military events during the Revolutionary War. In 1781, Benedict Arnold's forces shelled the property and ordered troops under Lieutenant Colonel John Graves Simcoe to disable artillery near Hood's Fort before moving toward Richmond. In the early nineteenth century, John Vaughn Willcox reunited much of the original grant after marrying the last Poythress heiress and purchasing neighboring parcels. A farmhouse was built in 1804, while the family maintained a principal residence in Petersburg. In June 1864, during the Union campaign against Petersburg, Flowerdew Hundred became the Virginia landing site for one of the most significant engineering operations of the Civil War. Union engineers built a pontoon bridge over the James River from Weyanoke to the Flowerdew or Wilcox Landing area. The bridge was completed in one evening, and three Army of the Potomac corps, together with a supply train, crossed over roughly three days toward City Point and Petersburg. Researchers relocated the bridge site in 1986 by comparing a nineteenth-century photograph with modern landscape features, including a surviving cypress tree. The Willcox farmhouse was demolished in 1955. A magnolia planted around 1840 survived near a later mansion, and the cypress associated with the 1864 crossing also remained. Archaeological investigations began in the late 1960s, identifying more than sixty sites from Native American occupation through twentieth-century settlement. Excavations conducted through 1995 recovered over 500,000 artifacts. The collection includes a 1615 Prince of Orange medallion and material from the stone house, fortified area, Selden family sites, and Flowerdew Towne and ferry complex. David A. Harrison III founded the Flowerdew Hundred Foundation in 1975. The foundation created a museum and public interpretation program, including a reconstructed windmill built in 1978 by English millwright Derrick Ogden. The foundation closed on October 12, 2007. The windmill was later donated, dismantled, and moved to the American Windmill Museum in Lubbock in 2010. After Harrison's death, the plantation was sold. The site is currently described as a private residence owned by local businessman and former NASCAR driver Jeff Oakley. It is also associated with the National Register of Historic Places and regional heritage trails.
- 2010
Commemorative windmill is relocated
[1]The reconstructed windmill was dismantled and moved to the American Windmill Museum in Lubbock, Texas.
- 2007
Foundation closes
[1]The Flowerdew Hundred Foundation ended its museum and tour operations on October 12, 2007.
- 1995
Major archaeological investigations conclude
[1]Archaeological work within the original fortified area and broader plantation limits continued through 1995 and produced more than 500,000 artifacts.
- 1986
The Civil War bridge site is relocated
[1]Eugene Prince and Taft Kiser identified the pontoon bridge location by comparing historical photography with surviving landscape features.
- 1975
Flowerdew Hundred Foundation is created
[1]David A. Harrison III established a foundation that operated a museum, tours, and public interpretation at the plantation.
- 1864
Union forces cross the James River
[1]Union engineers built a record-setting pontoon bridge from Weyanoke to Flowerdew, or Wilcox, Landing during the campaign against Petersburg.
- 1804
Willcox farmhouse is built
[1]John Vaughn Willcox built a farmhouse on the high ridge overlooking the James River bottomlands after reassembling much of the historic property.
- 1781
Property is affected by Revolutionary War operations
[1]Benedict Arnold's forces shelled the area and disabled artillery near Hood's Fort during the campaign toward Richmond.
- 1683
Flowerdew Towne is established
[1]A downstream settlement called Flowerdew Towne was formed under the Advancement of Trade Act, although it did not become a successful town.
- 1624
Property becomes Piersey's Hundred
[1]Merchant Abraham Piersey acquired the plantation, which became known as Piersey's or Peircey's Hundred. The muster recorded about sixty residents.
Products and positioning
A privately held historic landscape and archaeological site valued for its role in early colonial Virginia, the development of plantation agriculture, African American and Native American archaeology, and the 1864 James River crossing during the Civil War.
Brand decisions
2010
Relocation of the reconstructed windmillOtherBackground
The commemorative windmill was no longer being maintained as part of a public museum operation at the plantation.
Action taken
The windmill was donated to the American Windmill Museum, dismantled, and transferred to Lubbock, Texas.
Aftermath
The windmill became part of the Lubbock museum's collection, while the original plantation retained its archaeological and historic significance.
2007
Closure of museum and tour operationsOtherBackground
After more than three decades of public interpretation, the Flowerdew Hundred Foundation ended its operations.
Action taken
The foundation closed its doors on October 12, 2007.
Aftermath
The plantation returned to private ownership and is now described as a private residence rather than a continuously operating museum.
1975
Creation of a public-history foundationStrategyBackground
David A. Harrison III sought to support preservation, archaeological interpretation, and public access at Flowerdew Hundred.
Action taken
The Flowerdew Hundred Foundation was established and operated a museum, tours, and reconstructed historic features.
Aftermath
The foundation's public programs continued until the organization closed in 2007.
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