Mayfield Cottage

Mayfield Cottage is a historic brick house and former plantation property near the grounds of Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Although it is not a commercial brand, the name identifies an important surviving architectural and historical site associated with the Petersburg area. The house is generally dated to about 1750 and is considered the oldest existing brick house in Dinwiddie County. Its architecture reflects the Colonial period in Virginia, including a one-and-a-half-story form, a jerkin-head roof, Flemish-bond brickwork, and notable interior woodwork. The property was initially associated with the Ruffin and Digges families. Robert Ruffin lived there until 1769, when he relocated to King William County. After the American Revolutionary War, William Digges Sr. occupied Mayfield and used it in connection with his wider plantation interests. In 1784, he advertised the Mayfield plantation for sale, describing the property as containing approximately 400 acres. The following year, William Digges Jr. and Dudley Digges Jr. advertised additional acreage in the broader regional area. Ownership later passed through the Bolling, Goodwyn, and Willson families. Thomas Tabb Bolling, who died in 1810, is documented as an owner, and his son Thomas Radford Bolling was born at the house in 1797. An 1816 insurance record identified Edward Osborne Goodwyn as the insured party. The property subsequently passed through Goodwyn's family and was inherited by Eliza Whitworth Willson. In 1882, Henry Chamberlayne Willson and Eliza sold the house and approximately 290 acres, including a granite quarry, to the city of Petersburg. The sale enabled the property to become part of the development of Central Lunatic Asylum, later known as Central State Hospital. Virginia legislation authorized the hospital's trustees to accept the property as the site of the institution. From 1885 onward, Mayfield Cottage was used by the hospital and served as its headquarters. The house remained within the hospital complex for much of the following century. Institutional construction around it eventually obscured portions of the historic building, although substantial architectural features survived. Mayfield also stands within a landscape connected to the final stages of the American Civil War. During the Confederate defense of Petersburg in 1865, Fort Whitworth and Fort Gregg were located on or near the Mayfield property. Federal forces captured those defensive positions on April 2, 1865, during the campaign that preceded the fall of Petersburg. In 1969, the building was moved approximately one-half mile, or 0.8 kilometers, southeast from its original location. The relocation occurred while the property was associated with the hospital complex and preserved the structure despite changes to its surrounding institutional setting. Mayfield Cottage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the same year. It is therefore best understood as a preserved historic property and architectural landmark rather than as a consumer-facing brand, company, or product line.

Mayfield Cottage was constructed around 1750 in what is now Dinwiddie County, Virginia, near Petersburg. The one-and-a-half-story brick residence was built in a Colonial Virginia style characterized by Flemish-bond masonry, a jerkin-head roof, and substantial interior woodwork. It is widely regarded as the oldest surviving brick house in Dinwiddie County. Robert Ruffin occupied the house until 1769, after which he moved to King William County. In the years following the American Revolution, William Digges Sr. lived at Mayfield and used the property within a broader plantation network. In November 1784, he advertised Mayfield plantation for sale, describing it as a tract of roughly 400 acres. Related Digges family advertisements the next year offered between 600 and 800 acres in the wider region near New-Port-News. The property's later ownership is documented through several families, although the loss of many Dinwiddie County records makes the complete chain difficult to establish. Thomas Tabb Bolling owned Mayfield before his death in 1810. His son, Thomas Radford Bolling, was born in the house in 1797 and may have inherited it. An 1816 insurance document listed Edward Osborne Goodwyn, who later transferred the property within his family. After Goodwyn's sister died in 1847, she left the property to her daughter, Eliza Whitworth Willson. In 1882, Henry Chamberlayne Willson and Eliza sold Mayfield, together with about 290 acres and a granite quarry, to the city of Petersburg. Special legislation enacted by the Virginia General Assembly allowed the trustees of the Central Lunatic Asylum to accept the property as the location for the institution's future hospital. From 1885, Mayfield Cottage was used by the hospital and functioned as its headquarters. It remained within the hospital complex until 1969. The grounds also had military significance during the Civil War. As Confederate forces made their final effort to hold Petersburg in 1865, defensive works known as Fort Whitworth and Fort Gregg occupied portions of the Mayfield property. Federal troops captured the forts on April 2, 1865, during the operation that led to the collapse of the Confederate defense of Petersburg. Over the decades of institutional use, some interior partitions were removed, and surrounding hospital buildings partly concealed the historic house. Nevertheless, many of its most significant architectural characteristics survived. In 1969, the structure was moved approximately 0.5 miles, or 0.8 kilometers, southeast from its original site to its present location. The move helped preserve the building as the hospital grounds developed. Mayfield Cottage was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, formally recognizing its architectural, historical, and local significance.

• 1969

  Relocation and National Register listing

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  The house was moved about 0.5 miles southeast to its present site and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1885

  Use by Central Lunatic Asylum begins

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Mayfield became part of the hospital complex and was used as the headquarters of the institution later known as Central State Hospital.

• 1882

  Property sold to the city of Petersburg

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Henry Chamberlayne Willson and Eliza sold the house and approximately 290 acres, including a granite quarry, to Petersburg.

• 1865

  Civil War defensive works captured

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Fort Whitworth and Fort Gregg, located on the Mayfield property during the defense of Petersburg, were captured by Federal troops on April 2.

• 1810

  Thomas Tabb Bolling dies

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Tabb Bolling, a documented owner of Mayfield, died; the subsequent ownership may have passed to his son.

• 1797

  Thomas Radford Bolling born at the house

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Radford Bolling, later associated with the property's ownership, was born at Mayfield.

• 1784

  Mayfield plantation advertised for sale

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  William Digges Sr. advertised the plantation for sale and described it as containing approximately 400 acres.

• 1769

  Robert Ruffin leaves Mayfield

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Ruffin, an early documented resident, moved from Mayfield to King William County.

• 1750

  Construction of the house

  [1]Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Mayfield Cottage was built around this date as a brick Colonial-era residence in the area that became Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

Historic Colonial-era Virginia house and architectural landmark; not a commercial brand.

1. 1Mayfield Cottageen.wikipedia.org