Ferry Plantation House

Enjoy the sights of this 17th century home.

The Ferry Plantation House dates back to 1642. It was named after the ferry service, which began through the efforts of Adam Thoroughgood. Adam later hired Savill Gaskin to start the second ferry service to carry passengers on the Lynnhaven River to the nearby county courthouse and other nearby plantations. Gaskin was paid 80 pounds of tobacco for a year while running the ferry. There were up to 11 stops along the river, and a signal cannon summoned the ferry. So far, three of the cannons used have been found. In 1890, Charles Barnett bought the home, and when he died in 1986, it was left abandoned. Developers bought the home in 1994, and in 1996, it was turned over to the city of Virginia Beach and leased to Friends of the Ferry Plantation House Inc. It is run with the help of volunteers and has been since 1996. 

It was named Ferry Plantation because of its close location to the ferry service. Since it was built, the house has been used as a plantation, courthouse, school, and post office. It is now a museum and educational center. There are Summer History Camps hosted annually where you can see what it was like to live in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Ferry Plantation house is said to be haunted by 11 spirits, and there are ghost tours available and regular tours. The Ferry Plantation House has a brick structure but was once covered with oyster shell stucco. It has 10 rooms inside, and there have been some additions to the original home. This site has been on the US National Register of Historic Places since 2005. Take a look at this amazing plantation house, it is open Thursday, and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.