THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300470
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 53 lines
After almost a decade of neglect, its ownership in limbo, historic Ferry Plantation House in Old Donation Farm has come home to its friends.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved plans of the nonprofit Friends of Ferry Plantation House to restore and maintain the house.
The action was the final step in paving the way for almost 300 years of Virginia Beach history to be preserved. The house was built in the early 1800s, but the site has played a significant role for centuries.
Grace Sherwood was said to have been imprisoned in a jail there in the early 1700s after she was convicted of witchcraft. The Princess Anne County Courthouse operated on the site from 1735 to 1755, and one of the county's most prominent early residents, Anthony Walke, lived there during the Revolutionary War.
In 1987, archaeologists uncovered the largest-known collection of 18th century artifacts ever found, including a punch bowl and copper shoe buckles, trappings befitting a well-to-do colonist like Walke.
Ownership of Ferry Plantation, one of the most elaborate Federal period homes remaining in Virginia Beach, had gone from pillar to post since the surrounding Old Donation Farm neighborhood was developed more than 10 years ago. The house last traded owners in 1994 when it was purchased by investors.
When the investors tried to sell the property, they learned that a deed restriction prevented the house from being used as a private residence.
In June, the investors deeded the property to the city. The company also purchased two lots from the city for $68,550, and the council set aside the purchase price as seed money for restoration of the house.
The Friends organized informally several years ago when some local history buffs, led by Jo Howren, became alarmed about the property's perilous legal status. In March, the group officially incorporated and later presented a plan to council for the restoration and preservation of the house.
Tuesday, the council formalized its relationship with the Friends by directing staff to appropriate the seed money to begin the work and approving the use of a $1,000 grant from the Virginia Beach Foundation to hire a historical architect.
The Friends immediately plan to restore the exterior of the structurally sound house, said Howren, Friends president. Later, the group will raise money to restore the interior. In the future, the Friends plan to pay operational expenses by renting rooms on the second and third floors to nonprofit groups or individuals.
The Friends envision the lower floor as a place to tell the story of historic events surrounding the site, Howren said, and perhaps as a home for other Princess Anne County history. ILLUSTRATION: Staff Map
Area shown: Ferry Plantation House
KEYWORDS: FERRY PLANTATION HOUSE RESTORATION by CNB