Sweet Hall

Sweet Hall is a historic residence in Sweet Hall, Virginia, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sweet Hall
Sweet Hall, April 1971
LocationS of King William, near King William, Virginia
Coordinates37°34′12″N 76°54′11″W
Area65 acres (26 ha)
Built1720
Architectural stylePre-Georgian
NRHP reference No.77001490 [1]
VLR No.050-0067
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 7, 1977
Designated VLRFebruary 15, 1977[2]

In none of the information available online about Sweet Hall is there mention that the owners were slaveholders, and that the structures were probably built and renovated by enslaved persons. Also, "outbuildings" were mentioned, but no mention was made of slave quarters, which surely existed. Enslaved persons were captive there until they followed the Union Army out of the area around 1863. For one account of life as an enslaved person at Sweet Hall, see Robert Ellett's account in Weevils in the Wheat, Interviews with Virginia Ex-Slaves. Mr. Ellett's granddaughter (age 96) lives in Maryland at the time of this writing (May 2020). Weevils in the Wheat was "an expression used by slaves to communicate to one another that their plans for a secret meeting or dance had been discovered and that the gathering was called off. Weevils in the Wheat was edited by Charles L. Perdue, Jr., Thomas E. Barden and Robert K. Phillips. Copyright 1976 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.U [3]

Description

The house was built about 1720, and is a 1 1/2-story, asymmetrical "T"-shaped brick dwelling. The front facade is five bays wide and the house is topped by a rare upper cruck, or curved-principal, gable roof with dormers.[4]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places November 7, 1977.[1]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. Perdue, Jr.,1976, pp. 83-88., Charles L. (1976). Weevils in the Wheat (Fourth printing, 1999 ed.). Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia. p. 83-88. ISBN 0-8139-1370-5.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission staff (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Sweet Hall" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo



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