Jerdone Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jerdone Castle | |
 Aerial view of the property | |
   | |
| Location | N of Bumpass, near Bumpass, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°0′26″N 77°44′56″W / 38.00722°N 77.74889°W |
| Area | 175 acres (71 ha) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000042[1] |
| VLR No. | 054-0045 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 04, 1984 |
| Designated VLR | August 21, 1984[2] |
Jerdone Castle is a plantation located in Bumpass, Louisa County, Virginia, originally established c. 1742. Jerdone Castle is a Virginia Historic Landmark and registered on the U.S. National Register of Historical Places. Originally 1,100 acres (450 ha), much of the plantation's original land is submerged under Lake Anna. The estate currently contains 175 acres (71 ha).
The oldest section of Jerdone Castle was built in 1742 by Francis Jerdone who came to Virginia from Scotland in 1740, as discussed below. In addition to expanding his original landholdings and building a residence, Jerdone operated stores, mills, and a forge. The later main section of the house was built in 1853 for Francis Jerdone's descendant Sarah Jerdone Coleman and her husband, Gen. Clayton G. Coleman (1807–1872). Its Italianate bracketed cornice and cupola emphasize its generous size.
The Louisa County, Virginia, Historical Society documents that on June 9, 1791, President George Washington was an overnight visitor at Jerdone Castle. Washington's wife Martha was a close friend of Francis Jerdone's wife Sarah. Papers from the Jerdone family, including life at and the maintenance of Jerdone Castle, can be found in the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary.[3]
In 1879 the estate was purchased by Frank T. Glasgow of Richmond, father of the author Ellen Glasgow. Ellen Glasgow spent her childhood summers at Jerdone Castle, which she later said greatly influenced her writing. In the fourth chapter of The Woman Within, entitled "I Become a Writer," Miss Glasgow describes lying in the meadow at Jerdone Castle and realizing that writing was to be her future (VLR 280).[4]
