Westover Plantation
A historic colonial Tidewater plantation and Georgian mansion on the north bank of Virginia's James River.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Westover Plantation is a historic estate on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. It is best known for its Georgian mansion, its long association with the Byrd family, and its importance in the architectural, political, agricultural, and social history of colonial and nineteenth-century Virginia. State Route 5, a designated scenic byway, passes north of the property between Richmond and Williamsburg. The property was associated with the Bland family in the seventeenth century. Theodorick Bland acquired most of the tract from Sir John Pawlett in 1665 and lived there until his death in 1671. His sons later transferred approximately 1,200 acres to William Byrd I in 1688 in exchange for money and tobacco. Westover subsequently became the principal Virginia seat of the Byrd family, one of the colony's most prominent political and landowning dynasties. The plantation's mansion is an important example of early Georgian domestic architecture. It was long attributed to William Byrd II and dated to approximately 1730, but later dendrochronological analysis of structural timbers indicated that much of the present house dates to the 1750s. This evidence suggests that William Byrd III was more likely to have built and first occupied the surviving mansion. The building is noted for its formal symmetry, balanced proportions, decorative detailing, secret passages, and relationship to its surviving dependencies and landscape. Like other James River plantations, Westover's early economy depended heavily on tobacco cultivation. Tobacco production required extensive labor, and the Byrd family enslaved hundreds of Africans and African Americans who worked in agricultural, domestic, and skilled roles. The plantation's history therefore includes the violence and exploitation of racial slavery, as well as the later economic changes that affected Upper Southern agriculture. Soil exhaustion, changing markets, and the development of the Deep South contributed to a shift toward more mixed farming in the nineteenth century. Planters also participated in the domestic slave trade by selling enslaved people to the expanding cotton and sugar regions before the Civil War. Westover was used as a headquarters by the Union Fifth Corps during the Civil War, and one wing of the mansion was burned. After the death of William Byrd III's widow in 1814, the estate left Byrd family ownership. Later owners included lawyer John Armistead Selden, whose diaries provide a detailed record of nineteenth-century agricultural and domestic life, and Confederate officer Augustus Harrison Drewry. Drewry rebuilt the damaged wing, connected dependencies, and enlarged the dining room. In the early twentieth century, diplomat Richard Teller Crane II acquired and restored the property. Westover has remained with the Crane family since then. The estate is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and is also associated with National Register historic-place documentation. Its grounds and garden are open to visitors, with tours arranged by appointment. Westover has also served as a filming location, including for The West Wing, John Adams, Turn, and The Field of Lost Shoes. Hurricane Isabel caused substantial shoreline erosion in 2003, removing part of the riverbank, an old road, and a large poplar from the south lawn.
History
Westover's documented history begins in the colonial period. In 1665, Sir John Pawlett transferred most of the property by lease and release to Theodorick Bland of Westover for £170. Bland helped establish the original Westover Church and was buried in its chancel after his death in 1671. His sons, Theodorick and Richard, later held the land jointly before conveying about 1,200 acres to William Byrd I in 1688. The transaction involved £300, 10,000 pounds of tobacco, and a cask, reflecting the centrality of tobacco to Virginia's colonial economy. The Byrd family made Westover its principal Virginia seat. William Byrd II, a major colonial landowner and political figure who is associated with the founding of Richmond, was traditionally credited with constructing the mansion around 1730. The house was long treated as an early Georgian building of that date and was recognized for its architectural refinement. Later examination of its timbers changed the chronology: dendrochronological testing found boards and structural members dating to the 1750s. The revised interpretation is that William Byrd III probably built and initially occupied the surviving house, although the property and family association extend across several generations. Westover operated as a tobacco plantation and depended on the forced labor of a large enslaved population. Enslaved people performed field labor and domestic, craft, and other specialized work. The estate's history must therefore be understood not only through its architecture and prominent owners but also through the lives and coerced labor of the people who sustained its agricultural system. During the nineteenth century, declining soil fertility and changing markets encouraged a move toward mixed crops. Upper Southern planters also sold enslaved people through the domestic slave trade to plantations in the Deep South before emancipation. The estate remained in Byrd hands until after the death of William Byrd III's widow in 1814. It then passed through several owners. John Armistead Selden, a lawyer connected with prominent Virginia families, kept diaries that record the routines, finances, agriculture, and social culture of nineteenth-century life at Westover. Confederate officer Augustus Harrison Drewry later owned the property and lived there until his death in 1899. Drewry, associated with the defense of Fort Darling during the Battle of Drewry's Bluff, repaired the Civil War damage, rebuilt a burned wing, linked the dependencies, and expanded the dining room across the width of the house. During the early twentieth century, diplomat Richard Teller Crane II acquired Westover and undertook restoration work on the mansion and grounds. The estate subsequently remained in the Crane family. The house and its setting were recognized by the federal government for their architectural and historical importance, including designation as a National Historic Landmark. The property is also documented through Historic American Buildings Survey materials covering the mansion, office building, kitchen, and tool shed. Westover's position beside the James River has brought continuing environmental risks. In 2003, Hurricane Isabel eroded part of the shoreline, carrying away roughly ten feet of riverbank, a road believed to be about 250 years old, and a large poplar from the south lawn. Today, the mansion, gardens, and landscape function as a heritage destination. Visitors can access the grounds and arrange tours, while the property also attracts public attention through its use as a screen location. Its exterior has appeared in The West Wing and the site has been used for John Adams, Turn, and The Field of Lost Shoes.
- 2003
Hurricane Isabel damages the riverfront
[1]Severe erosion removes part of the riverbank, an old road, and a mature poplar from the grounds.
- 1960
National Historic Landmark recognition
[1]The property receives federal recognition for its Georgian architecture and association with the Byrd family.
- 1899
End of Augustus Harrison Drewry's ownership
[1]Drewry dies after making substantial repairs and alterations to the mansion and its dependencies.
- 1861
Civil War military occupation and damage
[1]Westover is used as a headquarters by the Union Fifth Corps, and one wing of the mansion burns during the conflict.
- 1814
Westover leaves Byrd family ownership
[1]Following the death of William Byrd III's widow, the property is sold outside the Byrd family.
- 1750
Probable construction period of the surviving mansion
[1]Dendrochronological evidence places the construction of much of the present Georgian house in the 1750s, later than the traditional circa-1730 attribution.
- 1688
The Byrd family acquires the principal tract
[1]The Bland brothers convey approximately 1,200 acres to William Byrd I in a transaction involving cash and tobacco.
- 1671
Theodorick Bland dies at Westover
[1]Bland dies and is buried in the chancel of the original Westover Church, which he helped build.
- 1665
The Bland family acquires the estate
[1]Theodorick Bland receives most of the Westover tract from Sir John Pawlett and establishes the property as a colonial Virginia residence.
Products and positioning
A privately maintained historic house and heritage destination representing Virginia's colonial Tidewater architecture, plantation history, and James River cultural landscape.
Historic architecture
Westover Georgian Mansion
The principal house is a formal Georgian mansion noted for its symmetry, balanced proportions, architectural detailing, and surviving features such as secret passages. Although traditionally dated to around 1730 and attributed to William Byrd II, timber analysis places much of the surviving structure in the 1750s and supports attribution to the period of William Byrd III.
Heritage landscape
Westover Gardens and Grounds
The landscaped grounds and garden form part of the site's visitor experience and historic setting along the James River. The landscape includes the south lawn and historic circulation routes, though portions were affected by shoreline erosion during Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
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