Welcome to Pine Slash and the Honeymoon Cottage
Upon Patrick Henry's marriage to Sarah Shelton in 1754, he received for her dowry a 300-acre tract of land and six slaves. Like many Virginians with small farms, Henry labored in the fields with his slaves. Much of the soil at Pine Slash had been exhausted by years of cultivation and along with drought, resulted in poor crops. In 1757 Henry marketed one hogshead of tobacco worth little more than ?10. Soon the house at Pine Slash burned, destroying most of their possessions. Patrick and Sarah Henry and their two young children were forced to move into a small cabin on the property, now known as the Honeymoon Cottage.
The Honeymoon Cottage at Pine Slash is a rectangular 20-by-60-foot one-story building with three rooms, an attic, and a half cellar under the north end. The older part of the house, comprising the two northern-most rooms, dates to the mid 18th century. The third room was added to the structure about 1800. According to Shelton family tradition, the Henrys lived in the cottage at Pine Slash about six months before moving to Hanover Tavern, owned by Sarah's father.
Henry opened a mercantile store in 1758, but it was unsuccessful. He closed the store in 1760, soon after obtaining his license as an attorney. While practicing law, Henry continued to farm the land at Pine Slash until he sold the property in 1764.
According to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Pine Slash represents a singular piece of this nation's architectural history. It is the earliest and best vertical plank-walled construction building in the region. The construction was to be permanent and of relatively high quality with finishes to create genteel spaces in a more economical manner. The planks were weather boarded outside and finished inside with moldings to make them resemble more costly paneling. Pine Slash survives as a unique and valuable historic building.
(sidebar)Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 - June 6, 1799) was the leading Virginia statesman in defending the rights of Colonial America.
Following Henrys death, John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson singing his praises: "In the Congress of 1774 there was not one member, except Patrick Henry, who appeared to me sensible of the Precipice or rather the Pinnacle on which he stood, and had the candour and courage enough to acknowledge it."
Henry was the first elected governor of Virginia, a devoted father of 17 children, and the most famous orator of his day. Born in Hanover County, Henry made a name for himself as a young lawyer in the Parsons' Cause at Hanover Courthouse in 1763. His 1765 resolutions against the Stamp Act articulated the basic principles of the American Revolution. Henry is perhaps best known for his immortal words "Give me liberty or give me death," which he delivered during the Second Virginia Convention in a speech to fellow delegates George Washington and Thomas Jefferson at St. John's Church in 1775. His impassioned words helped move colonists toward American independence and they continue to inspire the cause of freedom around the world.
Known as the "Voice of the Revolution," Henry's political career included 26 years of service in the Virginia legislature and five terms as governor. He helped draft the Virginia Constitution of 1776 and its Declaration of Rights. A leading critic of the U.S. Constitution, Henry also strongly influenced the creation of the Bill of Rights. Following his death, Henry was buried at Red Hill Plantation, now the site of the Patrick Henry National Memorial.
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