Bacon's Castle, State Route 617, Surry, Surry County, Virginia

Significance: The fine old brick mansion in the lower part of the County, known as "Bacon's Castle", was built by Arthur Allen, ancestor of the Claremont Allens, in 1665. It was referred to as "Allen's Brick House." During Bacon's Rebellion, Major William Rookings, Lieutenant Robert Burgess and Captain Arthur Long, followers of Bacon, seized this house of Allen's and made a fort of it. It was thereafter known as "Bacon's Castle," "Castle" meaning fort. On the 29th of December, 1676, a fight occurred here between Bacon's followers and men from the British ship "Young Prince" lying in the James River. Captain Robert Morris of the "Young Prince" claims to have carried the fort. In the County records we find depositions made in 1677, which tell of the seizure of Allen's house and the behavior of the "Rebel Crew" while there. At the time of the American Civil War, "Bacon's Castle" was owned by Colonel John H. Hankins. His son, James D. Hankins, was captain of the Surry Light Artillery, C.S.A.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-79

Survey number: HABS VA-75

Building/structure dates: 1665 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: ca. 1740- 1750 Subsequent Work

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000849

domestic life historic house museums people associated with politics and government rebellions plantations war civil war agriculture horticulture brick buildings stair towers wainscoting plaster walls summerbeams english bond outside end chimneys crow stepped gables attics sash windows stringcourses homewood bacon castle state route surry surry county virginia bacon castle vicinity arthur allen association for the preservation of virginia antiquities ruth deboer john h hankins historic american buildings survey scott morris elizabeth allen stith william a warren photo bacon castle ultra high resolution high resolution american civil war civil war library of congress national register of historic places

1933 - 1970

Library of Congress

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