Smith's Fort Plantation
Encyclopedia
Smith's Fort Plantation is a house and parcel of land located in Surry County, Virginia
, United States. The current main house on the property, also known as the Faulcon House, dates from 1751. The house has been an example for numerous twentieth century reproductions.
from the Jamestown
colony. The fort was quickly abandoned due to dry rot and a rat infestation. The same land was later given by Chief Powhatan
to John Rolfe
as a dowry for the hand of Pocahontas
when Rolfe and Pocahontas married. Archaeological surveys of the property have revealed that a number of structures have existed on the property and the present, restored main house was built by Jacob Faulcon in 1751.
. It is currently open as a museum with furnishings from the late 16th through the early 18th centuries. The property serves as a host to the annual Old Virginia Christmas-Festival of Crafts.
Surry County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 7,058 people, 2,619 households, and 1,917 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 3,294 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, United States. The current main house on the property, also known as the Faulcon House, dates from 1751. The house has been an example for numerous twentieth century reproductions.
History
The plantation received its name because it was the location of Captain John Smith's "New Fort," built in 1609, located directly across the James RiverJames River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
from the Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
colony. The fort was quickly abandoned due to dry rot and a rat infestation. The same land was later given by Chief Powhatan
Chief Powhatan
Chief Powhatan , whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh , was the paramount chief of Tsenacommacah, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Virginia Indians in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607...
to John Rolfe
John Rolfe
John Rolfe was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia and is known as the husband of Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy.In 1961, the Jamestown...
as a dowry for the hand of Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
when Rolfe and Pocahontas married. Archaeological surveys of the property have revealed that a number of structures have existed on the property and the present, restored main house was built by Jacob Faulcon in 1751.
Preservation
The property and current house was acquired by Preservation Virginia (formerly known as the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) in 1933 after undergoing restoration funded by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
. It is currently open as a museum with furnishings from the late 16th through the early 18th centuries. The property serves as a host to the annual Old Virginia Christmas-Festival of Crafts.