Four Mile Tree

Four Mile Tree is a historic plantation associated with the Jamestown region of Virginia. The property lies on the south bank of the James River opposite Jamestown and was named for its approximate distance from the settlement. At its historical height, the plantation encompassed about 2,000 acres and ranked among the more prosperous estates in Surry County. The site succeeded two earlier colonial plantations, Burrow's Hill and Pace's Paines, and was established during the first half of the seventeenth century. Colonel Henry Browne, who served on the Council of Governor William Berkeley in 1643, was the first recorded owner identified in the reference material. Four Mile Tree subsequently remained associated with the Browne family for roughly two centuries. Members of the family held local judicial and legislative positions, including service as county justices, members of the House of Burgesses, and members of the governor's Council. The plantation economy included tobacco production and the use of enslaved labor, reflecting the social and economic structure of colonial Virginia. The principal surviving building is the Four Mile Tree Plantation House, a brick residence constructed around 1745. It is a one-and-one-half-story structure with a hip-on-gambrel roof, pedimented dormers, and four interior end chimneys. Its exterior incorporates Flemish-bond brickwork above a beveled water table and English-bond brickwork below. Much of the brick was later covered with scored stucco intended to imitate ashlar masonry. The house retains important eighteenth- and nineteenth-century interior features, including a central stair hall with turned balustrading, a substantial handrail, a high dado, period mantels, and paneled elements. Four Mile Tree remained the Browne family seat until the death of the last male heir in 1799. During the American War of Independence, William Browne was involved with the Surry Committee of Safety and served as a lieutenant colonel of militia; his son also served in the revolutionary militia. The plantation was reportedly sacked by British forces during the War of 1812. In 1815 it passed to Sally Elizabeth Bowdoin, the granddaughter of William Browne Jr., and her husband, General Philip St. George Cocke. The Cockes lived there until moving to Belmeade in Powhatan County in 1840. The house underwent limited alteration after the Cockes left, apart from a modern south-side addition made in the late twentieth century. Four Mile Tree was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The property is a private residence rather than a conventional visitor-oriented commercial attraction, and publicly available material does not establish a current operating organization, commercial brand structure, or present ownership.

Four Mile Tree occupies a site on the south bank of the James River opposite Jamestown in present-day Surry County, Virginia. Its name refers to the plantation's approximate distance from Jamestown. The property is described as a successor to two earlier plantations, Burrow's Hill and Pace's Paines, and had become an established plantation during the first half of the seventeenth century. Colonel Henry Browne is identified as the first owner in the supplied historical account. He was a member of Sir William Berkeley's Council in 1643. The plantation became the principal seat of the Browne family, a prominent Surry County family that retained it from the period of Charles I until the death of its last male heir in 1799. Browne family members repeatedly served as county justices, and others held seats on the governor's Council or in the House of Burgesses. The estate was economically connected to tobacco cultivation and the colonial plantation system. Its owners served as tobacco viewers, and enslaved people were held at the property from an early period. These facts place Four Mile Tree within the political, agricultural, and coerced-labor systems that shaped seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Virginia. The surviving plantation house was built around 1745. It is a relatively compact brick building of one and one-half stories, distinguished by a hip-on-gambrel roof, pedimented dormers, four interior end chimneys, and a five-bay front. The brickwork combines Flemish bond above the beveled water table with English bond below. In the nineteenth century, the exterior was stuccoed and scored to resemble ashlar, although that treatment has deteriorated in places. The house preserves architectural evidence from several periods. The central stair hall contains some of the oldest interior woodwork, including turned stair balustrading, a heavy handrail, and a high dado. Other rooms contain early nineteenth-century niches, mantels, overmantels, cornices, dados, and paneling. The entrance was later sheltered by a Roman Ionic porch, and many window openings were altered in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. During the American War of Independence, William Browne served on the Surry Committee of Safety and became a lieutenant colonel of militia. His son, the last Browne master of Four Mile Tree, served as a lieutenant in the revolutionary militia. The property was reportedly sacked by British forces during the War of 1812. In 1815, ownership passed to Sally Elizabeth Bowdoin, William Browne Jr.'s granddaughter, and her husband, General Philip St. George Cocke. The Cockes occupied Four Mile Tree until 1840, when they moved to Belmeade in Powhatan County. After the Cockes' departure, the house experienced no major documented changes until a modern addition was constructed on its south side in the late twentieth century. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It remains a private residence, so its accessibility and current management should not be assumed from its historic-register status.

• 1970

  National Register listing

  [1]Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org

  Four Mile Tree was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places.

• 1840

  Cockes leave Four Mile Tree

  [1]Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org

  Philip St. George Cocke and Sally Elizabeth Bowdoin left Four Mile Tree and moved to Belmeade in Powhatan County.

• 1815

  Property passes to the Cocke family

  [1]Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org

  The plantation passed to Sally Elizabeth Bowdoin and her husband, General Philip St. George Cocke.

• 1799

  End of the Browne male line

  [1]Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org

  The last male heir of the Browne family died, ending the family's direct male line at Four Mile Tree.

• 1745

  Plantation house constructed

  [1]Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org

  The surviving brick plantation house was constructed around this date.

• 1650

  Oldest legible tombstone associated with the site

  [1]Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org

  The plantation's grave site contains what the reference describes as Virginia's oldest legible tombstone, dated 1650.

• 1643

  Henry Browne recorded as an owner and council member

  [1]Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org

  Colonel Henry Browne, identified as the first recorded owner of Four Mile Tree, served on Governor William Berkeley's Council.

Historic plantation property and architectural heritage site associated with early Virginia, Jamestown, the Browne family, and the colonial James River landscape.

• Historic architecture · 1745

  Four Mile Tree Plantation House

  The principal surviving building is a brick plantation residence dating to approximately 1745. Its notable features include a hip-on-gambrel roof, pedimented dormers, four interior end chimneys, a five-bay facade, Flemish- and English-bond brickwork, a later Roman Ionic entrance porch, and surviving eighteenth- and nineteenth-century interior woodwork. It is preserved as a private residence rather than presented as a conventional commercial product or public attraction.

1. 1Four Mile Treeen.wikipedia.org