Eppington

Located along the Appomattox River in Chesterfield County, Eppington was the Georgian plantation home of Mary Jefferson Eppes and John Wayles Eppes. The builder of Eppington, Francis Eppes, was a cousin of Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. Following Martha's death in 1782, two of Thomas Jefferson's daughters, Maria (Polly) and Lucy, lived there with the Eppes family while Jefferson served as minister to France. Tragically, Lucy died at age two in 1784 and was buried at Eppington. In 1797, Polly married Francis Eppes's son, John Wayles Eppes, and made the plantation her home. Jefferson visited Eppington on several occasions, and was at this location when he received a letter from George Washington offering him the position of secretary of state.

The two-and-a-half-story center portion of Eppington was built around 1770 and the one-story wings were added around 1790. The practice of combining several varying sections developed in the third quarter of the 18th century, to break down the dominance of the central block of earlier Virginia houses.

In 1810, Archibald Thweatt bought the plantation. In 1989, the Cherry family donated Eppington to Chesterfield County. In 1997, the Eppington Foundation was formed to work with the Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation Department in managing nearly 400 acres of the original plantation.

Further Sources

• Eppington Foundation.
• Eppington. Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation.
• Eppington. Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
• Theobald, Mary Miley. "Eppington: Gentry House Where Widowed Jefferson's Daughters Played Weathers Vicissitudes of Time." Colonial Williamsburg vol. 19, no. 4 (Summer 1997): 54-60.
• Weaver, Bettie Woodson. "Mary Jefferson and Eppington." Virginia Cavalcade vol. 19, no. 2 (Autumn 1969): 30-35.