Of Cellars, Ghosts, and Fire Bells

 

                                                HAMPSTEAD

 

The  handsomest  house  in  New  Kent  County  is  stately  Hampstead,  long  the  home  of  the  Webb  family.  These  Webbs  were  prominent  in  Virginia  from  the  early  eighteenth century.  Some  of  them  were  members  of  the  House  of  Burgesses.  One  of  them,  George  Webb,  was  treasurer  of  Virginia  during  the  Revolution  and  for  some  time  afterward, and  other  representatives  of  the  name  have  been  distinguished  in  the  United  States  and  Confederate  States  Navies.

Hampstead  was  built  by  Conrad  Webb,  in  1820,  as  the  date  in  gilt  figures  upon  the  cornice  proclaims.  It  stands  upon  the  top  of  a  high  hill  overlooking  lovely  grounds  and  gardens,  and  a  wide  sweep  of  country.  The  front  and  rear  entrances  of  the  mansion  are  alike.  In  front  the  white  marble  steps  descend  to  a  box-hedged  walk,  from  which  a  circular  carriage  drive  sweeps  around  a  central  plot,  with  a  sun-dial  in  the  middle,  and  filled  with  shrubs,  familiar  and  rare,  some  of  them  brought  from  Europe.  The  grounds  beyond  this  circle  are  set  with  beautiful  and  interesting  trees,  many  of  which,  like  the  shrubs,  came  across  the  water  to  contribute  to  the  charm  of  a  Virginia  gentleman's  home.

From  the  rear  entrance,  the  gardens  fall  away  in  four  terraces,  filled  with  flowers  and  fruits  and  vegetables  and  adorned  with  summer-houses  and  trellises,  over  which  old-fashioned  roses  clamber.  Flowering  shrubs  border  the  walks  and  screen  from  view  the  squares  devoted  to  the  more  useful  than  ornamental  purposes  of  the  garden.

The  mansion  stands  four  stories  high  including  the  English  basement  and  attic.  It  is  divided  in  the  middle  by  a  great  hall  whose  ceiling  is  supported  on  one  side  by  columns,  and  from  which  a  splendid  stairway  winds  to  an  observatory  which  affords  a  view  of  the  country  for  miles  around.

In  the  high-pitched  English  basement  was  the  Webb  library  with  its  books — in  built-in  shelves  around  the  walls  and  up  to  the  ceiling — among  them  many  a  "quaint  and  curious  volume  of  forgotten  lore."  Also  in  the  basement  was  the  servants'  hall  and  innumerable  store  rooms  and  lock  rooms;  the  wine  cellar  and  the  " fat  cellar "  (a  dark  cool  room  connected  with  the  outer  world  by  a  brick- walled  passage),  in  which  fresh  meats  were  kept.  The  basement  had  its  alluring  nooks  and  corners,  but  it  could  not  vie  in  charm  with  the  attic,  where  the  ghost  of  Mr.  Conrad  Webb  dwelt  among  the  trunks  and  chests  filled  with  wearing  apparel  of  past  generations,  bundles  of  old  letters  and  broken  toys.  One  who  spent  her  early  days  at  Hampstead  tells  how,  on  rainy  days,  the  children  would  play  in  the  attic  without  a  qualm  all  day  long,  but  if  dark  overtook  them  in  the  midst  of  their  games,  would  stick  their  fingers  in  their  ears  and  run  for  their  lives  down  the  winding  stair  to  the  safety  of  lamp-light  and  grown-up  folk,  in  terror  lest  the  ghost  should  catch  them.  The  same  narrator  tells  of  the  great  ice-house  in  the  grounds,  whose  dark  chill  depths  seemed  to  childish  minds  to  be  the  abode  of  unguessed  mysteries.

Upon  one  of  the  outhouses  at  Hampstead  was  a  bell-tower  in  which  hung  what  came  to  be  both  "passing  bell"  and  "fire  bell,"  though  its  main  object  was  to  call  farm  hands  to  meals  from  their  work  in  different  parts  of  the  large  estate.  If  there  was  so  much  as  a  chimney  afire  the  familiar  tones  of  the  bell  would  at  once  give  the  alarm,  while  when  there  was  a  death  in  the  Webb  connection  anywhere in  the  neighborhood,  a  messenger  would  be  sent  forthwith  to  toll  the  Hampstead  bell. 

Hampstead  is  now  the  property  and  residence  of  Mr.  W.  J.  Wallace.

 

-Historic  Virginia  Homes  and  Churches- Robert  A.  Lancaster,  Jr., Philadelphia  And  London  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company Copyright,  1915,  By  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company

Militia 1698

1698 

An Abstract of The Militia Within The Several Counties of Virginia As They Were Returned By The Respective Officers

New Kent - Col. Wm Byrd

                                                Capt Wm Bassett     a troop 47

                                                Capt Jos Foster        a troop         44

                                                Capt Jno Liddal a troop         102

                                                Capt Lancelot Bathurst         78

                                                Capt Fr Burnell *                 76

                                                                        347

                                                                       

-'Virginia Militia Officers, 1698', The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Oct., 1941),

New Kent at that time would have included Hanover and Louisa to the west and on the east the York River coast of James City. It would have lacked the Chickahominy River area from Providence Forge to Lanexa. William Byrd did not live in New Kent but commanded the militia units of Henrico and New Kent.

* Could very well be 'Burrell'

Fort Harrison- September 1864- Pt II

 The follow up to Friday's post on the capture of Fort Harrison, and the role in its defense by the Pamunkey Artillery . . . another letter to the Richmond Sentinel.

                                                [Correspondence to the Sentinel.]

                                CHAFFIN'S BLUFF, Oct 11, 1864

Mr. Editor- Inasmuch as there seems to be great misunderstanding in regard to the part taken by the battalion of artillery stationed at this place, in the fight with the enemy on the 29th of September, when the advance was made on our line of defences, immediately below this place, and as there seems to be a strong disposition on the part of some, who are entirely ignorant of the whole affair, to attach all the blame of the fall of Fort Harrison to our battalion, of the sake of justice, I desire to make a plain  statement of facts, that the public may know who are to blame and who are not.

About 5 o'clock on the morning of the 29th September, the battalion, hardly two hundred strong, (more than one hundred of it being on duty at Signal Hill, about -- miles below, was marched to the breastworks.- Thirty five men of the Goochland Artillery, under Lieut. Guerrant, were ordered to Fort  Harrison; the remainder, ten, were at Fort Gilmer, manning the two guns there. These even lighted the fuses in their shells and rolled them down on the enemy in the ditch, when they were too close for their pieces. - The James City artillery, commanded by Lieut. Davis, were sent North of Fort Harrison, on the Varina road, to man four pieces of artillery there, two of which could not be used on account of the ammunition being too large. The others were worked until nearly all the ammunition was expended, and the enemy between them and our lines. The men then made their way back as best they could and, as infantry, helped to repulse a charge of the enemy on a redoubt next to Fort Harrison, and afterwards the attack on Fort Gilmer.

The Lunenburg artillery, Captain Allen; Howitzer company, Lieut. Winder; and Pamunkey artillery, Capt. Jones- the three numbering less than one hundred and twenty five men- were ordered to defend the line of works from Fort Harrison to the river- about a mile and a half- with no infantry support. Capt. Allen had a detachment of fourteen men with him in a redoubt next to and commanded by Fort Harrison. The remainder of his company were in different detachments, considerably lower down the line. As soon as the enemy came in view of the fort, the guns were opened on them, and continued to fire until after the infantry support had left, and Lt. Col. Maury, Maj. Taylor, Adjutant Ellerson, and six of the Goochland artillery were captured at the guns.- While the infantry, which were there to support the  artillery, (a portion of them Reserves, which a certain newspaper editor of Richmond delights so much to extol for their gallantry, left the fort, many of them before the enemy had got within good musket range. Soon after the guns in the fort had opened Capt. Allen did so from his redoubt. Our guns lower down the line were in such a position that the enemy could not be seen from them until they were rushing late the fort, and then our men were kept from firing by a captain of some other command, who said that the enemy were our own men falling back. Capt. Allen continued to fire after they had  captured the fort, until he was flanked; he then fell back to the third redoubt from the fort, with Lieut. Winder, who had hauled two howitzers by hand some three hundred yards, under fire of the enemy, and put them in position in the third redoubt; and there Capt. Allen and Lieut. Winder, with less than one hundred men, with two small howitzers, one twenty-four pound siege piece and a lot of smoothbore muskets; and Capt. Jones a little farther back, in another redoubt, with but a handful of men and two pieces of artillery, check the triumphant advance of the enemy for nearly an hour, when that portion of the battalion on duty at Signal Hill, and a portion of Johnson's Tennessee brigade, came to our assistance; but had we not held the position, all of these would have been cut off and probably captured.

And now Mr. Editor, since there are some very wise and officious persons, who are so desirous of giving this battalion all the blame for the fall of Fort Harrison, when there was only 35 men of it there, and some of those were taken at the guns, when, too, the enemy admit that our artillery fire was very destructive, I desire that those will tell who checked the advance of the enemy and kept them from coming to and capturing the Bluff while our gunboats were below, and having command of our lower pontoon bridge, as their papers falsely state they do.

And I would further state that late in the evening, when reinforcements came, General Pickett's men were charged the enemy cut off the two redoubts next to Fort Harrison, that a portion of our battalion joined them and were among the foremost in the charge, as some of General Pickett's men can testify.

But some may say, that after remaining silent so long, we might have remained so in reply, we have to say, that several communications have been sent to a certain paper in Richmond, called, by some, the soldier's friend, and neither have been heard from; not even from an official list of casualties- and we feel that we have a right to demand that justice which, though tardy, is sweet to those who having done their duty feel they deserve it.

                                                                JUSTITIA

-The Sentinel(Richmond), October 13, 1864

Fort Harrison - September 1864

 

NPS map of portion Richmond National Battlefield Park

The Union moves north of the James River in the early fall of 1864 led to the capture of the Confederate Fort Harrison on the 28th of September, 1864. Fort Harrison is probably know to most people in New Kent at the main component of the Richmond National Battlefield Park in eastern Henrico. The fort has another connection to New Kent other than that of simple proximity; the Pamunkey Artillery, also know as Jones' Company, Heavy Artillery as well as a few other names, was an artillery regiment raised in New Kent. Battery sized, this unit operated not field artillery, but the heavier pieces used to defend fortified positions.

What follows is a "letter to the editor" written to the Richmond Sentinel in October 1864 by a Confederate soldier describing the roles of the various artillery companies in the unsuccessful defense of the fort.

                                 CHAFFIN'S BLUFF,

                                October 8th, 1864

I have heard so much, for the last few days, about what part this battalion acted in the engagement near here, on the 29th of September last, I feel that justice should be done, if possible. For about ten days before the 29th, over one hundred and fifty of our battalion had been detailed to throw up works at "Signal Hill," about two mile below here. On the morning of the advance of the enemy, the few remaining men were ordered to proceed out to our line of fortifications between here and "Signal Hill." Very soon after the enemy appeared in front of "Fort Harrison." A small portion of the Goochland Artillery were in the fort; Capt. Allen, with a small portion of the Lunenburg Artillery, was to the right in a small redoubt; Lieut. Winder, with two small howitzers, was to his right; Capt. Jones, with a portion of the Pamunkey Artillery, to his right. When the enemy entered Fort Harrison, Captain Allen was forced with his few men, to join Lieut. Winder. They then for several hours kept the enemy in check until about ten o'clock, when Captain A. received a painful wound in the right hand. Shortly after, other troops came to their assistance. Then the enemy were completely checked. Lieut. Col. J.M. Ellerson, had left the Bluff early in the morning for Fort Harrison, where they were all taken prisoners by the rapid advance of the enemy. All testify to the bravery of Captain Allen and Lieutenant Winder, during the whole engagement. They had but a few men, until our other men joined them from Signal Hill, but they disposed them to the best advantage. I hope before long the case can be made to all, that what few men we had here should not be blamed for the fall of Fort Harrison. If our battalion had not been scattered so much, the enemy would never have occupied any of the works. I am happy to say the small portion of the works the enemy occupy does them no material service towards their "on to Richmond." Hoping some abler pen may take this matter in hand, I will say no more for the present.

                                                                L.G.C.

-The Sentinel(Richmond), October 12, 1864

This is a reposting from 2014 

100 Years Ago

                                          

                                      SEIZE BIG STILL IN NEW KENT CO. 

Plant, Located on Island in Chickahominy, Said to Be Owned  Here. 

State and federal officers yesterday descended in force on a distilling plant, supposed to be owned by Richmonders, in New Kent county and captured a 800-gallon still, thirteen fifty-gallon fermenters and two 500 gallon fermenters. 

The raid was participated in by State Inspectors J.C. Dillard. V.O. Smith, J.N. Wood. J.C. Elliott. P. O. Nance and W.F. Gregory, and Federal Agents W.L. Willis and S.W. Davis. 

The seizure was made on the Chickahominy river near Bottom's Bridge. The still was constructed of  copper and wood and was of the so-called submarine style. It was located on a small island in a marsh. The officers had to go through water and muck waist-deep to get to it. 

    Floated Materials. 

It is believed that the still was used during the high-water period when materials could be floated in and the distilled product floated out. It is thought that with the coming of low-water it was abandoned with the purpose of making it again a base of operations in the fall. 

Inspector T.M. Gravely today reported the seizure of a sixty-gallon copper still on Little Creek, in Tazewell county. The officers laid in wait from dawn to late in the afternoon. But no one appeared and therefore they took the still and went on their way. A seventy-five gallon still was also taken in the same county.

-News Leader, 29 August 1924

The "Cross-House" in New Kent Pt V

 

Criss Cross stands on a gentle knoll surrounded by cultivated fields and woodland and is reached by unpaved state and private roads. The house enjoys an immediate environment whose character has changed little since it was built late in the seventeenth century. Although much altered, the house retains its original overall appearance and important late-seventeenth century detailing.

The brick house is T-shaped in plan, and like nearby Foster's Castle, and the Mathew Jones house in Newport News, it was a one or a one-and-a half-story building with a two-story single-bay projection in the center of the facade. The original walls are Flemish bond with glazed headers, constructed of unusually thick bricks, averaging 8 314" x 4 1/4" x 3 114". The watertable consists of mixed Flemish and English bonds on the main body of the house, with predominantly Flemish on the porch projection. Much of the brickwork of the front wall of the projection has been replaced, but it retains a belt course that wraps around the sides between the first and second floors and breaks upward on the front projection to emphasize the doorway.  

The three brick gables were replaced with wood in the nineteenth- century, the east end wall being completely rebuilt in wood. At that time the porch projection was raised several feet and given a less steeply  pitched gable roof. The brick exterior end chimneys also date from the nineteenth century. However, the original ones apparently were in the same position since the interior summer bean runs the length of the rooms rather than being shortened by chimneys projecting inward. In the same period, the eastern half of the main body was raised to two stories. The window openings are in their original locations, but the trim and sash date from the n nineteenth century. Exterior restoration in 1953 removed the addition above the porch chamber and returned its roof to the approximate original pitch. Also during this restoration the frame second floor was removed from the main body. The pitch of the western end of the main roof is believed to have remained unchanged, and Harden De V. Pratt, the restoration architect, found one rafter in situ that he believed to be original. The later brickwork of the front wall of the projection was replaced with new Flemish bond, as was the frame east end. Wood was retained as the material of the new gables, rather than rebuilding them in brick. 

Tradition has it that the frame back wing was added in 1790, and this addition appears to have been raised from one-and-a-half to two stories in the second half of the nineteenth century. As part of the restoration of 1953, the back wing was encased in one story of brick and given a gambrel roof. Pratt believed that he found evidence of an original north wing in the brick work of the north wall. Such a wing, perhaps containing the original stair, could have mirrored the form of the existing porch chamber and formed a genuine cross plan, but no definite evidence was recorded and it can not be safely assumed that an original wing existed the location.

The original interior plan consisted of a hall-and-parlor on the first floor, the larger room being entered from the enclosed porch chamber. With the 1790 addition, the entrance front was changed from the south to the north, through the new wing. At some point, the eastern part of the large hall room was partitioned off to form a center hall plan. The partition was removed in the recent restoration and the main block of the house was returned to a hall-and-parlor plan. 

The exterior of Criss Cross has suffered a number of alterations, but significant exterior fabric survived and the building has now been returned to its general original appearance. As such, it is one of Virginia's four existing Tudor-Stuart style structures with porch projections, the others being nearby Foster's Castle, the Mathew Jones House in Newport News, and Bacon's Castle in Surry County. The two story porch projection appears to represent a major seventeenth and very early eighteenth century Virginia building form. The interior contains especially rare period framing and details, the hall-porch door and post carving being the only such survival in the state.

Little is known about Criss Cross' early history, but according to tradition, it was built by George Poindexter about 1690. Poindexter had moved to New Kent County from Gloucester by 1681, when he is recorded as being in St. Peter's Parish. He was elected a vestryman of the parish in 1690, but he refused to serve. The back wing was added around 1790. The house is believed to have left the Poindexter family circa 1830, and J.F. Gilmer's 1863 map of the county shows that Criss Cross was occupied by S. P. Marsters, with Poindexters still living in the area. The house is said to have been used as a commissary during the War Between the States, and aa a refuge for Mrs. Fitzhugh Lee after the destruction of nearby White House by Federal Forces in 1862. The present owners, Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Harrison, bought the house in 1953 and undertook extensive restoration. They did not attempt to return the house to its exact original form, however, and therefore interesting post-seventeenth century interior details were retained.

                                                                    E.A.C.

 

 

-Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory, 1958 Federal Library of Congress

Location of Criss Cross on 1863 Gilmer map