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Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont » The Peninsulas » Caroline County » Camden

Camden

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1859, Norris G. Starkwether. VA 686; .7 mile to a private road, then .8 mile; on Rappahannock River. Not visible (NHL)
  • (Virginia Department of Historic Resources)

Camden is one of the finest examples of the Italian Villa style in the state. William Carter Pratt commissioned the house, which was to be constructed on the site of an earlier one that had been demolished. Starkwether, who had offices in Washington and Baltimore, produced a lavish design that had a large entrance tower (destroyed during the Civil War by Union gunboats). The house was advanced for the peninsula area in the period; its features included running water in every bedroom, central heating, gas lighting, and a conservatory. The house was constructed of wood with an exterior covering was flushboarded cypress, sanded and painted pale pink. The grounds were laid out in the Gardenesque manner, of which traces can still be seen.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Richard Guy Wilson et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Holloway House
Fox's Tavern
Farish Print Shop
Caithness

Citation

Richard Guy Wilson et al., "Camden", [Port Royal, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-PE55.

Print Source

Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont, Richard Guy Wilson and contributors. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, 351-352.

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