Recently, I visited Tuckahoe Plantation—about 30 minutes from my home—for the first time. For Thomas Jefferson, whose birthday we were celebrating at the estate, he first came to Tuckahoe when he was just two. According to Jefferson biographer Dumas Malone, Jefferson recorded his earliest memory of riding in a carriage, propped up on a cushion held by a slave, heading to what would be his home for the next seven years.
The History of Tuckahoe
Built by William Randolph and Maria Judith Page beginning in 1730, by 1945 it was home to their suddenly orphaned children. In his will, William declared Thomas Jefferson’s parents as guardians, and rather than uprooting the Randolph children, the Jefferson’s moved to Tuckahoe Plantation.
It is not difficult to image little T.J. running the halls of the H-frame home and being educated in a tiny one-room school house on the property. The house has been incredibly well maintained as a National Historic Landmark and that school house still stands beyond the tulip gardens.
Tuckahoe Today
It’s also easy to imagine the estate occupied by a family because it still is. Although the home is open to visitors, it is still privately owned, and rooms are filled with a mixture of then and now. Founding father portraits look upon framed family photos of weddings and graduations. Period antiques are cushioned by the occasional modern rug gracing rooms still inhabited by the current owners.
While these modern family and functional pieces keep the visitor grounded in current day, it is the gardens, outbuildings, and thankful preservation of the home, (it was nearly demolished to put in a highway—gasp) that allowed me to wander through the door and back to the 18th century. It’s a splendid example of the period—from the dark paneling to the paint colors to the perennials. (Check out the glass windows etched with signatures of visitors on their Instagram feed.)
The plantation is open daily from 9–5 with limited tours inside the home. For tour and photography information visit the Tuckahoe Plantation website.
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