Black Walnut

Black Walnut is a historic plantation house and farm located near Clover, Halifax County, Virginia. It is a heritage site rather than a commercial brand, company, product line, or trademarked offering. The main house was built in at least three sections beginning about 1774 to 1790, and in the 1840s and 1850s a substantial two-story frame addition was built in two stages parallel to the existing house, along with a connecting hyphen, giving the house an H-shape. The interior features Greek Revival style details. The property also includes numerous contributing structures such as a brick kitchen, dairy, wash-house, smokehouses, sheds, cool-storage building, privy, stable, barn, slave cabin, corncrib, machine sheds, toolshed, garage, a late 18th-century schoolhouse, and the family cemetery. At its peak, Black Walnut Plantation was one of the largest and most successful plantations in Halifax County. The only Civil War battle fought in Halifax County, the Battle of Staunton River Bridge, took place on Black Walnut Plantation in Summer 1864, and Confederate troops maintained an encampment there during the war alongside up to 800 Confederate slave laborers. During the September 1939 National Tobacco Festival, Academy Award winner Mary Pickford visited Black Walnut as Queen of the festival. Because the subject is a historic property and not a commercial entity, this dossier is limited and flagged for review.

Black Walnut is a historic plantation house and farm near Clover, Halifax County, Virginia. The main house was built in at least three sections beginning about 1774 to 1790. In the 1840s and 1850s, a substantial two-story frame addition was built in two stages parallel to the existing house, along with a connecting hyphen, altogether giving the house an H-shape. The interior features Greek Revival style details. Also on the property are the contributing brick kitchen, a dairy, a wash-house, two smokehouses, two sheds, a cool-storage building, a privy, a stable, a barn, a slave cabin, a corncrib, two machine sheds, a toolshed, a garage, a late 18th-century schoolhouse, and the family cemetery. At its peak, Black Walnut Plantation was one of the largest and most successful plantations in Halifax County. The only Civil War battle fought in Halifax County, the Battle of Staunton River Bridge, took place on Black Walnut Plantation in Summer 1864. Confederate troops maintained encampment there during the war alongside up to 800 Confederate slave laborers. During the September 1939 National Tobacco Festival, Academy Award Winner Mary Pickford visited Black Walnut as Queen of the festival. In 1741, Richard Randolph of Henrico County was granted a land patent of 10,300 acres along both shores of the Staunton [Roanoke] River, Licking Hole [Little Roanoke] Creek, and Black Walnut Creek, in what was then Lunenburg County. With the creation of Halifax County in 1752, 3,100 acres of Randolph's original land patent was cut off and annexed to the newly established county. In 1748, Richard devised this parcel to his son, John Randolph. Randolph never resided on this property since the family's primary residence was Henrico County where they owned several plantations along the James River. During this early period, however, the property was referred to as the "Black Walnut Plantation" indicating some type of improvement on the site. In June 1768, John Randolph sold the entire 3,100-acre parcel to William Sims of Cornwall Parish, Charlotte County. The deed described the tract as being part of a larger tract known as "Black Walnut Plantation" and a small plantation opposite to the mouth of the Little Roanoke River. William Sims and his brothers, David and Matthew, moved to Halifax County from Charlotte around 1770. During William Sims' brief tenure, tobacco was cultivated as the main crop, along with other crops and livestock. After five years of ownership, William Sims sold his 3,100-acre property to Matthew Sims for five shillings. Matthew Sims settled on part of the property and, in February 1774, surveyed off 1,750 acres and sold it to his brother, David Sims. The lands retained by Matthew Sims were established as his homestead, where he built his manor house. The main house, which dates to the 1770s, probably stood as a 1-story or 1+1⁄2-story single-pile, four-room house with interior end chimneys. The earliest documented outbuilding associated with the Black Walnut plantation was constructed southeast of the main house and consisted of a 1+1⁄2-story, wood-frame building. This building terminates in a steeply pitched roof that is sheathed in standing-seam metal. The late-eighteenth-century structure was used as a schoolhouse; the building is still extant on the Black Walnut property. Matthew took an active role in the Episcopal church, as did many of Halifax County's leading citizens. The boundaries of Halifax County and the Episcopal parish, Antrim, coincided. In 1783 Matthew and several other leading citizens were designated to collect tithes in the western section of the county. Matthew married Amey (Oney) May of Charlotte County in 1774. Matthew died in 1790 and left behind his wife and nine children. An inventory dated November 1790 shows his estate as including 40 slaves, personal belongings, crops, and livestock. Agricultural crops listed in this inventory included "200 barrels corn, crop of tobo. 1790 supposed 15000" pounds. Livestock included 45 cattle and horses, and 13 hogs. Amey May Sims acquired title to a 325-acre tract of land, including "the mansion house". According to Matthew Sims' inventory, the remaining twenty s…

• 1741: Richard Randolph of Henrico County was granted a land patent of 10,300 acres along the Staunton River, Licking Hole Creek, and Black Walnut Creek.

• 1752: With the creation of Halifax County, 3,100 acres of Randolph's original land patent was cut off and annexed to the newly established county.

• 1748: Richard Randolph devised the parcel to his son, John Randolph.

• June 1768: John Randolph sold the entire 3,100-acre parcel to William Sims of Cornwall Parish, Charlotte County.

• February 1774: Matthew Sims surveyed off 1,750 acres and sold it to his brother, David Sims.

• 1774: Matthew Sims married Amey (Oney) May of Charlotte County.

• About 1774 to 1790: The main house was built in at least three sections.

• 1783: Matthew Sims and several other leading citizens were designated to collect tithes in the western section of Halifax County.

• 1790: Matthew Sims died, leaving behind his wife and nine children.

• 1840s and 1850s: A substantial two-story frame addition was built in two stages parallel to the existing house, along with a connecting hyphen, giving the house an H-shape.

• Summer 1864: The Battle of Staunton River Bridge, the only Civil War battle fought in Halifax County, took place on Black Walnut Plantation.

• September 1939: During the National Tobacco Festival, Academy Award winner Mary Pickford visited Black Walnut as Queen of the festival.

1. 1Black Walnut (Clover, Virginia) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Black Walnut - Wikidatawikidata.org