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Wigwam

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Late 18th–early 19th century. 17110 Giles Rd., 12 miles north of Amelia Court House
  • (Virginia Department of Historic Resources)

Wigwam was built in two phases; it has a rear ell apparently constructed in the late eighteenth century, predating the front portion, which is thought to date from the early nineteenth century. The new section took on the public functions and the older, rear section then became the private family area. The front section is a one-and-a-half-story frame building with a five-bay front featuring a central double-door entrance flanked by pairs of nine-over-nine windows. Above, a row of five gabled dormers gives the house a particularly lively look. The brick gable-end chimneys, like those at Egglestetton (AA10), are interior. Inside, the house is especially elaborate, befitting its illustrious owner, William Branch Giles, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a U.S. senator, and governor of Virginia from 1827 to 1830. During his lifetime, he had a classical school here. The property is now the center of a horse farm.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Anne Carter Lee
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Citation

Anne Carter Lee, "Wigwam", [Amelia Court House, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-02-AA13.

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