Blenheim House
Historic Blenheim
“... a brick building recently erected and fitted up in handsome style...”Richmand Daily Dispatch, August 9, 1861
In 1855, fire consumed an earlier house on this site. Owner Albert Willcoxon had no insurance; so upon finishing this house—a center hall plan vernacular Greek Revival brick house with a double chimney on each end—he took out a $2,000 insurance policy in January 1860.
In July 1861, the Union Army reportedly vandalized the new home—“demolishing the window glass” and “tearing doors from their hinges.” Other Union soldiers sought refuge and convalesced here, leaving their names, inscriptions, and evocative pictographs on the still undecorated plaster walls.
A century later, Willcoxon descendants created a comfortable country home. They removed a rear kitchen addition and added a modern kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room (removed during restoration) on the north side. The present classical-columned front porch dates to 1948.
The house acquired the “Blenheim” name around 1900. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, the house is the centerpiece of Historic Blenheim and remains a vivid reminder of the area’s rural past. The interior is currently under restoration. The second floor and attic are not open to visitors.
Marker can be reached from Old Lee Highway.
Courtesy hmdb.org
