North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Dairy House

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 18, 2021

1. The Dairy House Marker

Inscription. In the South, dairy buildings were small structures, usually 14 feet square with a gable roof. The buildings’ overhanging eaves, louvered ventilators, and insulated walls were designed to keep the milk cool inside. Milk was placed in shallow tubs for approximately ten hours until the cream separated and rose to the surface. Slaves collected the cream and churned it into butter. Dairy buildings were a measure of affluence, as milk, butter, and cream were luxuries of the planter class.

(Sidebar)
Captain Samuel Mathews, Sr. established Mathews Manor (later renamed Denbigh Plantation) on the banks of the Warwick River near Deep Creek in 1625. Mathews was a prominent Virginian who commanded the colony’s militia and served as a member of the governor’s council. The Digges family purchased the property in 1720 and built this dairy building, c. 1740. By 1813, Richard Young acquired Denbigh Plantation, which remained in the family’s possession until the property was sold to a developer in 1963. After extensive archaeological work, a subdivision was constructed in the 1970s. Subsequently, the City of Newport News acquired the dairy building and moved it to Endview Plantation in 1999.

Erected by Endview Living History Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic

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lists: Agriculture • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1625.

Location. 37° 12.638′ N, 76° 34.198′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. It can be reached from the intersection of Yorktown Road (Virginia Route 238) and Lebanon Church Road, on the right when traveling north. Marker is on the grounds of the Endview Living History Museum. It is Stop 4 on the Endview Landscape Self-Guided Walking Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 362 Yorktown Road, Newport News VA 23603, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Endview (about 300 feet away); Endview Plantation (about 300 feet away); Virginia Indians (about 400 feet away); The Cemetery (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Endview (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Endview (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lebanon Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Aviation Field Yorktown (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Dairy Building (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 18, 2021

2. The Dairy House Marker

near it); The Endview Spring (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed); The Endview Landscape (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location titled "The Dairy Building".

Also see . . . Endview Plantation. Historic Newport News (Submitted on November 9, 2021.)

The Dairy House With Endview in the Background image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 18, 2021

3. The Dairy House With Endview in the Background

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 504 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 6, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.