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2018 SESSION

18107450D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 424
Offered March 1, 2018
Commending the Eppington Plantation.
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Patrons-- Cox, Ingram, Robinson and Ware; Senator: Dance
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WHEREAS, the historic Eppington house was constructed circa 1768 by Francis Eppes VI, brother-in-law to Thomas Jefferson, and the plantation comprised nearly 4,000 acres along the Appomattox River; and

WHEREAS, the Eppington house was deeded as a generous gift to Chesterfield County in 1989 by the Cherry (or Hinds) family along with 43 acres for historic preservation; easement to the property was recorded in 1995 and the Eppington Foundation was created in 1997; and

WHEREAS, a cooperative partnership exists between Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation and the Eppington Foundation, Inc., to manage the site, to protect the property, and to promote public education about the significance of the site and the approximately 400 acres of adjacent land holdings; and

WHEREAS, Eppington Plantation has been designated as a Chesterfield County landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1969; and

WHEREAS, Eppington is recognized as a remarkable example of 18th century Georgian architecture, and features a three-bay, two-and-a-half-story central block design with a hipped roof, dormers, and flanking one-story wings; and

WHEREAS, architectural and paint analysis studies were conducted by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1995, and archaeological site surveys and shovel test pits were conducted in 1993; a ground-penetrating radar survey was conducted in 2013; and

WHEREAS, the Eppington house is so well preserved that it still looks very much as it did 250 years ago, and the property serves as an important symbol and an educational tool for telling the history of Chesterfield County and the nation; and

WHEREAS, the inaugural Eppington Heritage Day was held in 1998 and Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation has held public education events at this site every year since; the Eppington Foundation, Inc., commemorated its 20th anniversary in 2017; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Eppington Plantation on the occasion of its 250th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to the Eppington Foundation, Inc., and the Chesterfield County Department of Parks and Recreation as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the Eppington Plantation’s unique architectural design and its historical and educational significance to Chesterfield County.