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Governor Kaine Announces Shirley Plantation Easement Donation
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| Governor Timothy M. Kaine has announced that Shirley Plantation, oldest plantation in Virginia, will donate an easement on its property to the Commonwealth. The Governor made the announcement at the September 22 anniversary celebration of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and Department of Historic Resources reception honoring the 40th anniversary of Conservation and Preservation Easement Programs in Virginia. The Shirley easement is an agreement between the Commonwealth and the llth generation Carters of Shirley that the plantation’s historic lands will be protected in perpetuity for the benefit of the public and the environment. Charles Hill Carter III, Shirley’s heir and administrator, is donating the easement as part of his emphasis on the conservation of the land. It was his ancestor, Capt. Edward Hill I, who purchased Shirley in 1651 and established the Hill Carter family, which still lives on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the plantation Great House. Today Charles Carter’s interest in preserving his family’s heritage is coupled with a determination that the Carter family will be trustworthy stewards of Shirley as a National Historic Landmark (1970) and treasure of Virginia history. Shirley Plantation was established in 1613 as a 4000-acre gift from King James I to Lord De La Warr, Virginia’s first governor, in 1613. The Great House of the Plantation and accompanying outbuildings were completed in 1738. The first residents were Elizabeth Hill, daughter of Edward Hill III, and her husband, John Carter, son of Robert “King” Carter. Shirley is famous as the birthplace of Robert E. Lee’s mother and the site of her 1793 marriage to “Light Horse” Harry Lee. The Hill Carter family operates the plantation as part of America’s oldest family-owned business (1638). Original portraits and historic furnishings are featured during the Great House. Guests are also invited to visit the dovecote, icehouse, granary and other outbuildings, as well as the beautiful grounds situated on the banks of the James River. Shirley is open for visitation year round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. The plantation is situated on Scenic Route 5, between Williamsburg and Richmond. |
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