Downtown in Norfolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Whitehead House, 1791
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, August 10, 2010
1. Whitehead House, 1791 Marker
Inscription.
Whitehead House, 1791. . Patrick Parker, a wealthy merchant, built a Georgian style home here in 1791. Later occupants of the house included Hugh Blair Grigsby and John Boswell Whitehead, sons of Elizabeth McPherson. Elizabeth's first husband was the Reverend Benjamin Grigsby. Their son Hugh (1806-1861), the famed Virginia historian, spent his boyhood in the house. After Benjamin Grigsby's death, Elizabeth married Dr. Nathan Colgate Whitehead, in whose family the house remained for three generations. Their son John was Norfolk's mayor from 1870 to 1872 and from 1874 to 1876. According to anecdote, when the Freemason Street Baptist Church was built across the street, Dr. Whitehead worried that the large steeple would fall and damage his property during a storm. He was told, "The devil would never think to look for a Presbyterian elder under a Baptist steeple." The steeple did fall in 1879, without damage to property or Presbyterians. The last tenant of the house was the Norfolk Boys' Club, which occupied the building until 1933, when it was torn down to make way for a parking lot for Freemason Street Baptist Church.
Patrick Parker, a wealthy merchant, built a Georgian style home here in 1791. Later occupants of the house included Hugh Blair Grigsby and John Boswell Whitehead, sons of Elizabeth McPherson. Elizabeth's first husband was the Reverend Benjamin Grigsby. Their son Hugh (1806-1861), the famed Virginia historian, spent his boyhood in the house. After Benjamin Grigsby's death, Elizabeth married Dr. Nathan Colgate Whitehead, in whose family the house remained for three generations. Their son John was Norfolk's mayor from 1870 to 1872 and from 1874 to 1876. According to anecdote, when the Freemason Street Baptist Church was built across the street, Dr. Whitehead worried that the large steeple would fall and damage his property during a storm. He was told, "The devil would never think to look for a Presbyterian elder under a Baptist steeple." The steeple did fall in 1879, without damage to property or Presbyterians. The last tenant of the house was the Norfolk Boys' Club, which occupied the building until 1933, when it was torn down to make way for a parking lot for Freemason Street Baptist Church.
36° 51.008′ N, 76° 17.228′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in Downtown. Marker is at the intersection of E. Freemason Street and Bank St. on E. Freemason Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Norfolk VA 23510, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 1,047 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on August 30, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2. submitted on February 5, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. 3. submitted on August 30, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 4. submitted on June 8, 2015, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
