Wharton Place C. 1805, Eastern Shore of Virginia

Wharton Place, the early 19th century home of maritime merchant John Wharton and his wife Elizabeth, has long been regarded as one of the finest period homes on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Though this property is believed to have once stretched from the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, today Wharton Place consists of 100.4 acres (+/-) with approximately 2,500 feet of Assawoman Creek frontage. Views extend beyond the creek to Wallops Island and the Atlantic Ocean. 

There are approximately 59 acres of prime tillable land, 20 acres of woods, and 12 acres of tidal marsh with the remaining acreage being lawn and gardens. Placement under a conservation easement in 2006 with the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust reflects not only its place in history, but also protects its future.

Built in a Federal Style with some Georgian influences, Wharton Place was sited with its four corners oriented to the compass cardinal points, taking full advantage of passive natural light throughout the day.  Believed to have been constructed for the Whartons by Isaac Gibbons and Cyrus Sharp, Wharton Place shares many design and ornament features with several other homes on the Eastern Shore including “Brownsville” (Nassawadox, VA), “Ker Place” (Onancock, VA), and “Beckford” (Princess Anne, MD).

The floorpan is often referred to as a “Maryland” layout. Instead of a center hall running through the house from front to back, this design has a large cubic entry hall from which the rooms on the first floor radiate. These rooms include what was likely John Wharton’s office, front (morning) and back (formal) parlors, and the dining room. The second level floor plan mimics that of the first floor with the exception of an original back hallway which separates the west and north bed chambers. The room above what was John Wharton’s office was converted to a bathroom and later divided to become two bathrooms. The third floor has two chambers currently used for overflow guests and also provides access via an enclosed ships ladder stairway to the widow’s walk.

The house is split longitudinally into formal and informal halves, with moldings, plasterwork, mantels and ornament reflecting the distinction. There are a total of eight fireplaces in the main house and one in the quarter kitchen. Notable are the four mantels bearing the maker’s mark of Philadelphia-based Robert Wellford located on the formal halves of both the first and second floors. The quarter kitchen has always been attached to the main house and merely lacks the masonry veneer of the main block given its intended use and comparative informality. Original hardware remains in its fireplace once facilitating in food preparation.

While significant restorations have taken place since the 1940s, most recently with Williamsburg-based architecture and paint specialists, modernizations have been made to accommodate 21st-century living, including a geothermal high-efficiency, three-zone HVAC system. A new roof was installed on the main house in 2021 using hand sawn, butt-ended, white cedar shingles based on originals discovered in the attic. The yellow cedar-shingled roof installation on the quarter kitchen followed and covers the thick decking planks that served as its original flat roof.

Each steward of the property has made practical and thoughtful improvements and conveyed research and discoveries to the next.

The landscape and gardens deserve recognition in their own right. Wharton Place appears to have always been landscaped given its deliberate terracing and Elizabeth Wharton’s reference to yard and gardens in her will. Under the guidance of landscape architect Chip Callaway, the Wharton Place gardens were refreshed and expanded between 2004 and 2008 and have been twice featured in Garden & Gun.

The garden path provides a strong axis anchoring the home in the landscape. Brick walkways, meandering shell paths, and terraced hillsides, connect and frame a series of gardens from different eras, that are intended to be enjoyed individually or together during walks. As with the house, the gardens have formal and informal areas. Boxwood mixed with flowering perennials, evergreens, and trees spill over as you wander the paths. Fragrant borders of lilac, quince and mock orange follow the curve of the fence and sweep across the property with the predominate westerly breezes. Blooming in stages, and with deciduous and evergreen plantings, the yard is designed to be enjoyed year-round.

Its 42-foot elevation gently slopes down to Assawoman Creek waterfront. The private dock has approximately five feet of water at high tide. The auxiliary buildings on the property include a corn crib, smoke house, and boat house. There is also the original family cemetery where John Wharton was interred following his death in 1814 in Philadelphia. Elizabeth Wharton was buried beside him in 1831.

Wharton Place is well suited for architectural and outdoors enthusiasts. This property is a rare opportunity to own a piece of American history and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark, and has a rare “Honorary” designation from the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

For additional information with respect to the conservation contact:

Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust

Details

Property ID
602393

5
Bedrooms

4
Bathrooms

Square Footage
4410

Lot Size
100.4

Year Built
1805

Style
Federal

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