Last updated: February 19, 2021
Place
The Nelson House in Yorktown
NPS Photo/Valarie Sweeny
Quick Facts
Location:
The Corner of Main Street and Nelson Street in Yorktown
Significance:
Home of a signer of the Declaration of Independance
Designation:
Historic Home open to the public when staffing permits.
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
The Nelson House was the home of Thomas Nelson, Jr. (1738-89), Yorktown's most famous son and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Nelson's devotion to the patriot cause during the American Revolution contributed significantly to the creation of the United States.
The Nelson House is one of the finest examples of early Georgian architecture in Virginia. (The Georgian style took its name from the four British kings named George, who reigned from 1714 to 1830). Georgian architecture was popular in the 1700s because its simple, balanced appearance gave an impression of order and stability. Many of its features, such as the triangular pediment above the front door and the cornice, or decorative molding, under the eaves of the roof, can be traced to ancient Greece and Rome.
Most of the Nelson House is original, including the bricks and most of the mortar in the outer walls. Inside the house, the wall panels and most of the wooden floors are original, a notable exception being the floor in the downstairs hall. The paint on the walls matches the color of the first paint applied after the house was constructed.
During the colonial period five or six small outbuildings of Georgian design were clustered in an area to the right of the Nelson House. The buildings were used at various times as kitchens, wash houses, poultry houses, dairy houses, smoke houses, spinning houses and servants' quarters. The outbuildings made the Nelson household virtually self-supporting.
Informal tours of this early 18th-century home's first floor are offered through the year as staffing permits. Call for hours of operation.
The Nelson House is one of the finest examples of early Georgian architecture in Virginia. (The Georgian style took its name from the four British kings named George, who reigned from 1714 to 1830). Georgian architecture was popular in the 1700s because its simple, balanced appearance gave an impression of order and stability. Many of its features, such as the triangular pediment above the front door and the cornice, or decorative molding, under the eaves of the roof, can be traced to ancient Greece and Rome.
Most of the Nelson House is original, including the bricks and most of the mortar in the outer walls. Inside the house, the wall panels and most of the wooden floors are original, a notable exception being the floor in the downstairs hall. The paint on the walls matches the color of the first paint applied after the house was constructed.
During the colonial period five or six small outbuildings of Georgian design were clustered in an area to the right of the Nelson House. The buildings were used at various times as kitchens, wash houses, poultry houses, dairy houses, smoke houses, spinning houses and servants' quarters. The outbuildings made the Nelson household virtually self-supporting.
Informal tours of this early 18th-century home's first floor are offered through the year as staffing permits. Call for hours of operation.
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