Ionia (Trevilians, Virginia)

Ionia is a frame house near Trevilians, Virginia, that was the centerpiece of a large plantation in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Built around 1775, Ionia was the home of the Watson family. It was built as Clover Plains by Major James Watson, the son of a Scottish immigrant, in a fertile area of Louisa County, Virginia that is now a National Historic Landmark District, the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District.[3] The plantation was the third largest in Louisa County in the late 18th century, leading to the nickname "Wheat Stacks" for Watson as a result of his prosperity. After Major Watson's death in 1845 the house passed to his son, Dr. George Watson, who renamed the house "Ionia" and, since he lived in Richmond, used it as a summer residence. George Watson died in 1854, leaving Ionia to his widow, who lived there until the 1870s. Following her death in 1879 the property was subdivided. The Watson family went on to build a number of houses in the Green Springs area.[4]

Ionia
Ionia, HABS Photo, May 1984
Location0.1 mi. E of VA 640 and 0.8 mi. N of jct. with VA 613, near Trevilians, Virginia
Coordinates38°02′16.51″N 78°10′07.98″W
Area640 acres (260 ha)
NRHP reference No.72001405[1]
VLR No.054-0043
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 30, 1972
Designated VLRMay 16, 1972[2]

The house is a 1-1/2-story frame structure, covered with wood clapboards. One-story wings flank the main block on either side, with an ell to the rear. The house retains much of its original woodwork. The property includes several dependencies, including a dairy house, smoke house, kitchen, slave quarters and an early barn.[4]

Ionia was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 30, 1972.[1]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (February 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Green Springs Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  4. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (May 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Ionia" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
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