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 A
simple two-story 18th-century white frame farmhouse nestled on 585
acres of lawn, garden, and woodlands, Bassett Hall once was the
Williamsburg home of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich
Rockefeller.
- Built between 1753 and 1766 by Philip Johnson
- Purchased by Burwell Bassett around 1800
- Union cavalryman George Armstrong Custer guest in home during
the Civil War
- Property acquired for Colonial Williamsburg in 1927
- Became Rockefeller home in 1936
- Opened to the public in 1980
- Two-year restoration began in 2000
- Reopened to public in December 2002
House built by member of Virginia House of Burgesses
 Philip
Johnson, a member of the House of Burgesses from King and Queen
County, Virginia, is believed to have built the 18th-century frame
house sometime between 1753 and 1766. Martha Washington's nephew
Burwell Bassett purchased the home in 1800. Basset was a Virginia
legislator and congressman.
Union officer guest in Confederate home
In an ironic twist, Union cavalryman George Armstrong Custer
spent 10 days following the Civil War Battle of Williamsburg as
a guest in the Rebel household. Custer was on leave to attend the
wedding of his West Point classmate John W. Lea. A Carolina Confederate,
Lea was wounded during the battle. During his recuperation at Bassett
Hall, Lea became engaged to one of the daughters in the family.
Home's History impressed Rockefeller
In 1926, the Rev. Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin of Bruton Parish Church showed
Bassett Hall to visiting philanthropist and Standard Oil heir John
D. Rockefeller Jr. Goodwin wanted to convince Rockefeller of the
value of restoring Colonial Williamsburg. Of particular interest
to Rockefeller was the Great Oak, a huge old tree that was already
in its eighth decade when the Stamp Act Crisis rocked the colonies.
Rockefeller said, "It is a place to sit in silence and let
the past speak to us."
 Bassett
Hall becomes Rockefeller home
Goodwin encouraged Rockefeller to buy the house, and it
became the Rockefellers' residence during their twice-annual trips
to the city. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller decorated the home with folk
art.
A Rockefeller biographer wrote, "Perhaps his favorite residence
– the one that most attracted him in his later years –
was the small white house known as Bassett Hall in Williamsburg,
Virginia. Here, surrounded by the details of a vast project, he
found the satisfaction of creation, of being a part of one of his
own great dreams."
Completed two-year renovation in 2002
Bassett Hall remained in the Rockefeller family until 1979, when
it was bequeathed to Colonial Williamsburg. An extensive two-year
renovation of the property was completed in December 2002, and the
home reopened to the public. Unlike the rest of the Historic Area,
where guests travel back to the 18th century, Bassett Hall appears
as it did in the 1930s and 1940s, in the early days of the restoration
of Colonial Williamsburg, when the Rockefellers made it their home.
View images of the newly
renovated Bassett Hall
For further reading:
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Historic Triangle