Until the mid-twentieth century, this late Georgian house was at the center of an active farm. Now it is a house museum completely surrounded by commercial and residential development. Built in the late eighteenth century for either Francis Land V or Francis Land VI, planters from a well-established Princess Anne County family, the house is five bays across with a center-passage plan. The walls are constructed of Flemish bond brick without a water table. Around 1912 the gambrel roof was raised to its present height; during the 1920s, the window openings were widened on the main facade, and a wooden porch was added to the rear. The pedimented hood over the front entrance dates from the mid-twentieth century, when the house was converted to a dress shop. Some original paneling survives on the interior, most notably in the dining room. The house is gradually being restored and furnished.
You are here
Francis Land House Historic Site and Garden
c. 1780–1810. c. 1912, roof raised. c. 1920–1930, window alteration and rear porch addition. c. 1954, entrance hood addition and interior renovation. 1986–present, restoration. 3131 Virginia Beach Blvd. Open to the public
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.