Chestnut Grove (plantation)

The two-story frame house consisting of six rooms^[2][4] was originally built around 1730.^[4] It was first inhabited by prominent Virginia planter John Dandridge and his wife Frances Jones.^[1][2][4] The couple raised their eight children, including Martha Washington, there.^[1][2][4] It was at Chestnut Grove that Martha married her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, on 15 May 1750.^[1][2][4]

In 1768, Martha Washington's younger brother Bartholomew Dandridge sold Chestnut Grove and its accompanying 500 acres (2.0 km²).^[4] Colonel Richard Pye Cooke then purchased the mansion in 1840.^[5] At that time, the Chestnut Grove estate contained 1,175 acres (4.76 km²). Unlike neighboring plantation homes, Chestnut Grove continued to serve as a residence for 200 years in its original state until it burned down in November 1926.^[2][4]

Chestnut Grove's architectural details survive due to old photographs and sketches.^[4] The mansion was a two-story frame structure with a hip roof and a chimney at either end.^[4] It also contained a basement which ran the length of the mansion.^[4] The interior of Chestnut Grove was plain and paneled in pine.^[4]

37°31′3.2″N 76°58′42.3″W / 37.517556°N 76.978417°W / 37.517556; -76.978417