Walnut Grove (Spotsylvania County, Virginia) facts for kids
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Walnut Grove
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Walnut Grove (Spotsylvania County, Virginia)
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 Location in Northern Virginia
Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | Belmont Rd., west of Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania, Virginia |
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| Area | 8.1 acres (3.3 ha) |
| Built | 1840 |
| Built by | Jennings, William A. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000889 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 20, 2004 |
Walnut Grove is a very old and beautiful house located in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It was built in 1840, which means it's over 180 years old! The house is designed in a style called Greek Revival. This style was popular a long time ago and looks a bit like ancient Greek temples.
A man named Jonathan Johnson bought the land for Walnut Grove in 1829. The house itself was built by William A. Jennings. He was known as a very skilled builder of Greek Revival homes back then. Walnut Grove is so special that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 2004. This means it's an important historical place in the United States.
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What Does Walnut Grove Look Like?
Walnut Grove is a large house with five sections, called "bays," on the front. It has a raised brick basement. The front porch is a great example of the Greek Revival style.
Front Porch Details
The flat roof of the front porch is held up by four square columns. These columns are called Tuscan columns. They are connected by the original railings, known as balustrades. The main entrance has special carved designs on the sides. Above the door, there's a window with a beautiful leaded glass pattern, called a tracery transom. The shutters on the windows of the basement and the first floor are the original ones from when the house was built. The roof of the house is shaped like a pyramid, which is called a hipped roof.
Inside the House
The house has an L-shaped floor plan. Just like the front, the back porch roof also rests on Tuscan columns. Walnut Grove has three brick chimneys inside its walls. You can see the original oak beams in the hallway, kitchen, and dining room. These beams have special Roman numerals carved into them. These numbers show where the floor supports, called joists, were supposed to be attached. These same markings can be found in another house built by William A. Jennings, called Edgewood.
History and Gardens
Walnut Grove looks almost the same today as it did in the mid-1800s. There are some other interesting things on the property too.
Old Buildings and Features
You can find the original smokehouse on the grounds. There's also a stone fireplace from an even older house. This house, called the Coleman house, was built in the 1700s, before the current Walnut Grove. This old fireplace used to be the kitchen for that very old home.
In the 1980s, another old building, the Bond house, was moved to Walnut Grove. This building was from Louisa County, Virginia. It was fixed up and now serves as a bed and breakfast. The work to restore this building was even recognized by the Spotsylvania Preservation Foundation!
Beautiful Gardens
The grounds of Walnut Grove also feature lovely gardens. There's an English garden, where you might see many different kinds of flowers. There are also vegetable gardens, where food can be grown. You can also find orchards, which are places where fruit trees grow, and a vineyard, where grapes are grown.
