Holiday tour through history

Tuckahoe is a working plantation that includes a circa-1733 house, the schoolhouse where Thomas Jefferson studied as a youth, original outbuildings, 600-plus acres and a spectacular view of the James River.

Yet it's not what most Richmonders think of when they hear "Tuckahoe."

"People know Tuckahoe Cleaners, they take their pets to Tuckahoe Veterinary Hospital, but they don't know we're here," said Hannah Warfield, one of five full-time staff members at the plantation.

Not familiar with Tuckahoe? Read on:

A cedar-lined lane, almost a mile long, leads from River Road in Goochland County to Tuckahoe, where Addison Baker "Tad" Thompson and his wife, Sue, have lived since 1977. The Thompsons raised their four children in the house that Tad's grandmother bought to save from destruction in 1935. The Thompsons are one of three primary owners along with William Taliaferro Thompson III and Jessie Thompson Krusen.

Tuckahoe's first floor is museumlike, while the Thompsons' living quarters are on the second floor (bedrooms and baths) and in the finished basement (kitchen and den). "It is an act of love and commitment to own and preserve an old house," said Sue Thompson. "I've never thought of Tuckahoe as just my home. It's a national historic landmark and in a sense does belong to the people of America. When Tad and I moved here, we decided it needed to be open more to the public. It's been interesting. The best part about it is what people who come to visit share with us, information about Tuckahoe."

Jefferson lived at Tuckahoe from 1745 to 1752. One of his earliest memories is said to be of his father carrying him up Tuckahoe's front steps when he was 2. The schoolhouse, a small, white building to the left of the house, serves as a gift shop. Handmade items, such as live arrangements and birdhouses, will be sold this weekend in the former stable. Cider and gingerbread will be available in the old kitchen.

Natural materials gathered on Tuckahoe's grounds, including pine, boxwood, magnolia leaves, osage oranges, nandina berries and pine cones, are used in the home's 18th-century-inspired holiday décor. "We have a whole lot of wonderful things to cut," Thompson said. "The only thing we do that is not 18th century is spray things gold." The 11-foot tree in the Great Hall was cut on the property and is decorated with handmade wooden ornaments, crocheted snowflakes and popcorn strings. "The only thing we don't have on it is lit candles," Thompson said. "We have to be sure we're not endangering a house that is now 275 years old."

The dining room table is set with vintage Royal Crown Darby china and a tiered centerpiece filled with fruits. A glass dessert epergne filled with ribbon candy, mints and other sweets sits on a small table in front of a side window. Etched into the glass of that window are the words "Mary Randolph, Tuckahoe, 1780." William Randolph, who built Tuckahoe, was a close friend of Peter Jefferson, Thomas's father. When William died, Peter Jefferson moved his family to Tuckahoe to care for the three orphaned Randolph children, one of whom was Mary's father, Thomas Mann Randolph.

Tuckahoe wouldn't be a true Southern plantation without a good ghost story. According to "The Unhappy Bride of Tuckahoe," a young Randolph woman ran off with the plantation's overseer. Her parents pursued her, brought her back to Tuckahoe and had her married off to a much older man. The young woman supposedly haunts the ghost walk, a pathway from the front lawn that leads to the Randolph cemetery and a Charles Gillette garden. The path will be lit with torches for this weekend's tours. "We've never seen her," Thompson said.

Tuckahoe is open year-round to visitors. Self-guided grounds tours run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. An honor box at the front gate accepts donations. Guided tours of the house are by appointment only or on special occasions such as Historic Garden Week in April and this year's Christmas event. Tuckahoe also can be rented for wedding receptions and private parties.
Contact Julie Young at (804) 649-6732 or .