The Anchorage (Kilmarnock, Virginia)

The Anchorage is an historic house located in Northumberland County, seven miles (NE) outside of Kilmarnock, Virginia, near Wicomico Church, Virginia. It was built pre-1749 as a 2 1/2-story home (original section which is still lived in) with a gambrel roof and then extended in 1855, including basement foundation. An annex building of 1.5 rooms which was built in the mid-18th century, was moved and attached to the house in the 1955. The original section of the house was then extended in the rear in the mid 1980s. In 2016 and 2017, the house went through a major renovation with additional extensions added. There are six fireplaces, three of which are part of the original chimney.

The Anchorage
Location1 mi. W of jct. of VA 605 and VA 669, N side, near Kilmarnock, Virginia
Coordinates37°47′22″N 76°20′20″W
Area32.3 acres (13.1 ha)
Built1749
Architectural styleColonial
NRHP reference No.95000245[1]
VLR No.066-0040
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 17, 1995
Designated VLRJanuary 15, 1995[2]

Since its Land Grant in 1658, the plantation has only had a handful of owners. The current owners, The Byrne Family, are on the 3rd generation, having owned the property since 1929/30. The original property (originally called "Road View") was approximately 350 acres (140 ha) and sits on Mill Creek which feeds off of the Chesapeake Bay. The dock is situated in Kent Cove, which runs approximately 300 yards off of the Creek. At the entrance of the woods is the Kent family cemetery which dates back through the Civil War, inclusive of a CSA (Confederate States Army) memorial tombstone and Grave.

The property is complemented by rolling orchards and woods sitting on Mill Creek with approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) of waterfront acreage. The barn lot has a corn crib and additional barns dating back to the 1840s. The property which was originally a tobacco farm, is situated in Ball's Neck in the Northern Neck of Virginia, rich in early colonial history. Mary Ball Washington was born only a few miles away in Lively, and Richard Lee I ("The Immigrant" was Robert E. Lee's GGG Grandfather and GG-Grandfather of two signers of the Declaration of Independence, as well as GGG=Grandfather of President Zachary Taylor). He emigrated from England in 1639 and had a large tobacco plantation ("Ditchley") of approximately 2,600 acres on property approaching The Anchorage.

It was registered as an historic landmark by the Virginia Landmarks Register (Virginia Department of Historic Resources) in Virginia by the Byrne Family in 1995.[2] It also appears on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

A second dendrochronological study is being commissioned in order to help prove the age of the original dwelling(s) on the property back to the 1690s. Currently, historic records prove a dwelling on the property in 1702.

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References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.

Media related to The Anchorage (Kilmarnock, Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons

Media related to The Anchorage (Kilmarnock, Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons

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