DH and I eschewed the tasks associated with owning a 1908 Farmhouse and took a largely impromptu beautiful weekend day to tour some of the James River area. Our first stop was Bacon’s “Castle.”

Built in 1665, it’s the oldest surviving brick dwelling in North America. Its namesake’s rebellion is where things turned less quaint. Nathaniel Bacon—wealthy, well-connected, and thoroughly at odds with Governor William Berkeley—took issue with Berkeley’s restraint toward Native American tribes. Bacon favored swift retaliation and expansion; Berkeley worried (not unreasonably) that this would ignite something far more ruinous. Ignoring him, Bacon raised a rogue militia of indentured servants, small farmers, and enslaved people promised freedom; planned their rebellion from the “castle” and set the colony on a collision course. In September 1676, they seized and burned Jamestown. Bacon died soon after—felled not by battle but by fever or dysentery (as the historians say)—and the rebellion quickly unraveled. His burial site remains a secret 350 years later, to prevent dissenters from desecrating his grave.



From what we read, what lingered was far more consequential than the uprising itself. The spectacle of a multiracial coalition turning against the elite deeply unsettled Virginia’s ruling class, prompting a deliberate hardening of social lines. In the years that followed, laws increasingly codified racial distinctions and shifted labor away from indentured servitude toward permanent, hereditary slavery based on African descent. Ironically, freedom and slavery were created at the same moment by Bacon's Rebellion.

Crossing the James River by auto ferry, we made our way up the river to (attempt to) tour two historically significant plantations. This is, yes, a "Gulp" of Cormorants.



Our first stop, the Berkeley Plantation (not connected to Governor Berkeley). So many events that are part of America’s history happened here, and walking the expansive grounds took the bulk of our outing.



It claims the first official English Thanksgiving, when the Good Ship Margaret and its 38 male passengers set foot onto America and, with prayer, gave thanks, a full year before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts.The pilgrims had better PR, though it was Abraham Lincoln who established the modern Thanksgiving celebration in 1863 as a way to promote unity during the Civil War.



Berkeley was also the Shipyard of the Revolution, until the traitor Benedict Arnold burned it down.



The plantation is, in addition, the ancestral home of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; William Henry Harrison (9th President); and Benjamin Harrison V (23rd President).



Fun Fact: The first American “drinke of Indian corn” and precursor to Bourbon was distilled at Berkeley. Kentucky had the better PR years later for its Bourbon.

During the Civil War, Berkeley was also Union General McClellan’s HQ owing to its proximity to Richmond, and was where “Taps” was commissioned as an alternative to the French “lights out” bugle call. This is the bugle on which the original "Taps" was performed.



As DDog was with us (he loves outings), we could not tour the interior of the main house. Truth be told, if you’ve seen one Federalist home interior, you’ve seen them all. Ditto for most Baroque palaces around Europe. Being an outbuilding, the keep (kitchen) was available for a look-see, though. The green paint is a sign of wealth, as the use of copper in the pigment was expensive. (George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate has the same color, in case you wondered.)



Leaving Berkeley, we attempted to tour Shirley Plantation, the oldest plantation in America, and one that has been in the family since its construction in 1613. Alas, being a private estate, it was closed for the season. Didn’t conduct my last-minute research well.

We drove past many cotton fields, with last year’s weathered crop leftovers to reinforce just how much history there is in our fair Commonwealth. Virginia is the northernmost cotton-producing state. In fact, the James River area grows nearly half of Virginia’s cotton, the bulk of which gets sent to China to make all the cheap clothes we buy.



Despite my poor last-minute planning, we were able to wrap up our long day of history with outstanding Fish and Chips (seemed appropriate) in an al fresco setting at a charming restaurant on the James River, feeling a little more informed about our country’s history. #Virginia250



Thank you for reading.

And thank you fourfortravel for this terrific trip report from an impromptu trip. Even though I went to high school and did my undergraduate in Virginia, the history was largely unfamiliar to me. I don’t know if you find this and it might be because I seek it out, but I find visiting a new location almost invariably leads me to become aware of a different historic angle (from that locale’s perspective).

What an enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing.

Trip Report flag added

I so enjoy your trip reports.And I learned some interesting history from this one. Thanks for posting this. Looking forward to the next one!

Glad you are enjoying our tales! Wandered the C&O Canal Towpath today around the Monocacy Aqueduct, and while quite interesting, doesn't warrant a trip report.

Upcoming travels booked include: Seattle (May) and the big trip to Uzbekistan in early October. Upcoming travels under consideration include Amsterdam (June) and Oaxaca (September). I'll have plenty to write about!

Thanks for the insights and photos. It is amazing that we can see the first bugle to play taps.

And I always thought Hannibal Dobbs was the first bugler.....

"I'm warning you, Dobbs!" -- Sgt Agarn

Also really enjoyed this report.