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Whichello

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c. 1827. 9602 River Rd. (east of Gaskins Rd., next to Second Baptist Church)

Also known as the Tall House, Whichello is one the most visually prominent historic buildings on western River Road. It was built on land that was originally part of the Randolph family's Tuckahoe plantation for Catherine Woodward or for Richard Whichello, who ran a tavern here beginning in the late 1830s. Local lore recounts that Whichello was murdered by a cattle drover in a gambling dispute and was buried in the basement to prevent his slaves from mutilating his body. The tall frame building is set upon a slightly sunken English basement and rises to include a finished garret. The full-width porch and the unusual projecting eaves and cornice returns were probably later modifications. The property includes several outbuildings, extremely rare in this suburbanized area of the county.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Richard Guy Wilson et al.
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Data

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Citation

Richard Guy Wilson et al., "Whichello", [Richmond, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-RI363.

Print Source

Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont, Richard Guy Wilson and contributors. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, 291-292.

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