Ferry Plantation House
Among one of the only historical buildings of its kind left in Virginia Beach, this three-story brick federal style home attracts education, history, and thrill-seekers alike. Laid in three-course American bond brick and standing at a total three stories high and three bays wide, the Ferry Plantation House features a gorgeous two-story wooden porch in the colonial revival 1950s style and houses several original mantels, flooring, trim, and even shutters.
In its past, the Ferry Plantation House has been used as most famously a plantation, as well as a tavern, school, and courthouse. Historically speaking, this former plantation house received its namesake from the historical ferry boat service running the Lynnhaven river, with over eleven stops conducted in its day by cannon fire. Sitting on 2.1 acres of land, this federal farmhouse was built by slave labor on the ground facing the western branch of the Lynnhaven River. It is actually the last remaining historical building on this land, the previous Princess Anne courthouse engulfed by a fire in 1828.
Among the various educational opportunities within the plantation house itself, there are also opportunities to learn about another important era in Virginia Beach’s history by visiting the Grace Sherwood statue on grounds. Convicted of witchcraft and found guilty in a trial by water, Sherwood was incarcerated in the courthouse for some time. The museum opens on Halloween to educate about the “witch of Purgo” as well as the history of the land owned by Indians in the 1500s.
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