15th Autumn Pilgrimage House and Garden Tour takes place Saturday

Historic residences in Charles City County will be open tomorrow for Westover Church's 15th Autumn Pilgrimage House and Garden Tour.

The tour, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes a home built in 1790 in Chesterfield County and moved by barge in 1998 to its current site on the banks of the James River.

Properties on the tour include:

Westover Parish Church - One of the oldest churches in the country, its predecessor was constructed between 1630 and 1637 on Westover plantation. The original structure was dismantled around 1730 and reconstructed at its present site on Herring Creek. Notable worshippers include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, John Tyler and Theodore Roosevelt.

Bethany Presbyterian Church - A Greek Revival church built in 1869. Members of the congregation will serve refreshments here during the tour.

Berkeley Plantation - One of the first great estates in America, the plantation was part of a 1618 land grant. It claims to be the site of the first official Thanksgiving and the first playing of "Taps." Benjamin Harrison IV built the mansion.

Sherwood Forest - Home of President John Tyler from 1842 until his death in 1862. Sherwood Forest Plantation has been the continuous residence of the Tyler family since the president purchased it.

Kittiewan - Built in 1728, this property was donated to the Archaeological Society of Virginia and is undergoing physical and archaeological study.

Weyanoke and Upper Weyanoke - Part of properties owned by several families prominent in Virginia history, such as Sir George Yeardly, Abraham Piersley, William Harwood, Fielding Lewis Douthat and his wife, Mary Willis Marshall.

North Bend Plantation Bed & Breakfast - Built in 1819 for Sarah Harrison, sister of President William Henry Harrison. The plantation lands are still under cultivation by the current owners, the Copland family, descendants of the Ruffin and Harrison families.

Richmond View - Originally built in Chesterfield County circa 1790, the house was in danger of ruin until the owners moved it to Charles City by barge in 1998. In 2006, Richmond View was designated by Southern Living magazine as the best preservation project of the year.

Tour activities will begin with a presentation of foxhounds from Princess Anne Hunt Club at Sherwood Forest Plantation from 9 to 9:30 a.m. A variety of activities will follow at Westover Church throughout the day, including live entertainment from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Local products, plants and produce will be sold on the church lawn. The youth of Westover Church will sell homemade goods and lunch items, including chili and hot dogs.

Tickets may be purchased tomorrow for $35 at Richmond View, Sherwood Forest Plantation, Westover and Westover Church.

For details, visit http://www.westoverparish.org/AutumnPilgrimage.html.