The Henry House

The Henry House. Patrick Henry’s Red Hill. Patrick Henry House , Henry purchased the 700-acre plantation, known as Red Hill, in 1794 from Richard Marot Booker for £1,700. The story-and-a half frame home was built around 1772 by Booker and contained an entryway and one room on the first floor and two rooms on the second floor as the children’s sleeping quarters. The Henry family (8-14 people) lived in the home. The house is a reconstruction built on the same foundation as Henry’s original home. During Henry’s time, the house aced south toward the Staunton River., John and Elvira Henry’s House , In 1833, John, Patrick’s youngest son, and his wife Elvira expanded the house. In the building contract, it mentions “an entry between the new and old room called the chamber (Patrick Henry’s home)” measuring 10’ x 10’ was to be added to connect the old house to the new, two-story addition Also, a “nursery 12’ x 20’ to be added to the end of the old chamber”., In 1875, Red Hill was inherited by John and Elvira’s son, William Wirt Henry, who lived primarily in Richmond during his ownership of Red Hill. William Wirt Henry did not make any significant modifications., Lucy Gray Henry Harrison’s House , After William Wirt’s death in 1900, the estate became the property of his daughter, Lucy Gray Henry Harrison, Patrick Henry’s great-granddaughter. Around 1906, Lucy consulted with the noted Philadelphia architect, Charles Barton Keen, to enlarge the house to eighteen rooms. The house was completed in late 1911 and in February 1919, the entire house burned to the ground., The Henry House Today , After Lucy’s death in 1944, the Patrick Henry memorial Foundation was formed to preserve Red Hill. Through the philanthropy of Eugene B. Casey, who discovered Red Hill while visiting his daughter at Randolph Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg, the Patrick Henry house was reconstructed in 1957. Stanhope Johnson of Lynchburg was selected as the architect to recreate the original home because he served as an architect aide when Lucy’s mansion was constructed. Years later, after considerable research, it was realized the Patrick Henry’s home did not have the two side additions present today but was a much simpler, two-room home., Entryway , The interior of the house is furnished with period-correct antiques and reproductions. The entryway has a canvas floorcloth. This was both decorative and practical, as dirt and spills could easily be removed from its painted surface. Instead of a staircase leading to the second floor, a ladder was used., Main Chamber , This space was used for family “living”, service as a multi-purpose room where the Henry’s socialized, entertained guests, played games and music, slept, and ate their meals. The canopy bed provided both warmth and privacy. Next to the bed is an antique trundle and a cradle for easy access to infants and small children. The clothes press beside the bed was owned by Patrick Henry. At the foot of the bed is a chest to store clothes and blankets., The Henry’s would have eaten their meals in this room. After meals, the table was folded up and pushed against the wall Patrick and Dorothea’s daughter, Dorothea Spotswood Henry married George Dabney Winston in the main room of the Henry home in 1795., The food in this photo is typical of what the Henry family ate at Red Hill. Pork, vegetables, and fish were common at the Henry table. The pie on the table is a savory meat pie, not a sweet dessert. Beverages consumed at Red Hill included tea, coffee, water, and “small beer” (an ale low in alcohol consumed by men, women, and children in the 18th century). Madeira wine and West Indies rum were usually reserved for guests, as Patrick Henry rarely drank distilled spirits., Lean-To/Nursery , The mantel is original to John Henry’s home. John and Elvira Henry added this room to the house, and it served as the nursery. Then mantel was removed from the house prior to the fire in 1919., The Grounds , A 2001 archaeological study revealed an expanse of cobblestone located on the southern side of the home, which marks the foundation of a greenhouse that John and Elvira Henry constructed. This confirms a description written by one of Patrick Henry’s great-granddaughters, Elvira Henry Miller, who described “…a large greenhouse on one side towards the river: two of the chamber windows looked into it. This must have been beautiful in the winter – to look in on orange and lemon trees…I especially remember the cape jasmines, covered with lovely fragrant white blossoms.” Ig bushes and boxwoods that Elvira planted in the 1840s are still growing at Red Hill Elvira was responsible for beautifying the grounds with the boxwood garden., The brick outline along the ground to the right o the house shows the 1833 and 1911 expansions completed by Patrick Henry’s descendants.