Bremo, also known as Bremo Plantation or Bremo Historic District, is a plantation estate covering over 1,500 acres (610 ha) on the west side of Bremo Bluff in Fluvanna County, Virginia. The plantation includes three separate estates, all created in the 19th century by the planter, soldier, and reformer John Hartwell Cocke on his family's 1725 land grant. The large neo-palladianmansion at "Upper" Bremo was designed by Cocke in consultation with John Neilson, a master joiner for Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. The Historic District also includes two smaller residences known as Lower Bremo and Bremo Recess.[2]
Starting in 1808, John Hartwell Cocke built an estate of three houses along the James River, which he named "Bremo" after his family's ancestral home of Braemore in Scotland.[5] One of the original structures was an ancestral hunting lodge at Lower Bremo that was built of stone and dated back to 1725. Cocke inhabited this lodge close to the river as his first home on the estate.[6]
Around 1812, Cocke completed a larger home for himself and his wife Anne Blaws Barraud at Bremo Recess, situated on higher ground farther back from the James River. This house featured dormer windows, a pointed roof,[7] and later incorporated elements of Jacobean architecture.[2] Anne died in December 1816 and was buried at Bremo Recess, where her ghost has reportedly been sighted wandering in the house.[8]
Construction of the mansion
During his time at Lower Bremo and Bremo Recess, Cocke began working on the design of a grand plantation mansion to be built at the Upper Bremo area. Cocke spared no expense during the construction, utilizing hand-molded brick. Even the neighboring barn was adorned with columns. The construction of the mansion took several years and was completed in 1819.[6] At about the same time, the lodge at Lower Bremo was renovated for Cocke's son Cary.[2]
During the American Civil War, Mary Anna Custis Lee, the wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, stayed at Bremo as a guest of the Cocke family. Though it was 80 miles (130 km) away from her home in Richmond, Virginia, the James River and Kanawha Canal permitted a relatively comfortable trip by boat. Bremo also did not suffer the wartime shortages that had been plaguing Richmond.[9] However, within a few days of her arrival, Lee's health suffered a setback because of a severe fall from her crutches on the finely polished floor.[10] Family friend Doctor Cary Charles Cocke built a special bed to accommodate her affliction from rheumatoid arthritis. She was usually accompanied by her son Rob and daughters Agnes and Mildred.[11]
Bremo itself did not escape the effect of the war. On March 8, 1865, the estate was raided by Union forces. General Lee personally visited the plantation that year.[12] The Lees stayed intermittently at Bremo until November 1865, after the war. The place that was occupied by Mary Anna Custis Lee is still called "Mrs. Lee’s room".[11]
Architecture
The overall design of the mansion was initiated by John Hartwell Cocke with master builder John Neilson (c.1770 - 1827), who had worked with Thomas Jefferson on Monticello. The architecture is believed to be based on the Palladian style utilized by Jefferson.[13] Although the original plans were destroyed in a fire in 1894, students of Jeffersonian architecture who had seen the drawings said that they had recognized them as the work of Jefferson himself. It has been called "the most magnificent conception of a house" in America.[6]
The mansion is one story high at its northern entrance, but has two stories on the southern side where the land slopes down towards the James River. The home is designed with distinct elements of Jeffersonian architecture, such as upper windows built at floor level to reduce the visual scale of the structure. The landscaping incorporates ha-has, which were dug out of the view from the mansion while serving to keep livestock from wandering into the yard.[14]
A monument on the estate, named Temperance Spring, is an early example, in miniature, of the Greek Revival style. The homes at Lower Bremo and Bremo Recess were rebuilt in their present Jacobean forms in 1844.[2]
^. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
^ abcdefMorton III, W. B. (August 21, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places: Inventory – Nomination Form (Bremo Historic District)". National Park Service. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
^(PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. February 22, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
^Browning, Sally (February 26, 2004). "Bremo Bluff: From Beginning to End". Fluvanna Review. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ abcJohnston, Clara Cocke (1931). "Bremo". Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia: 127–132. Archived from the original on March 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
^Johnston, Clara Cocke (1931). "Bremo Recess". Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia: 125–127. Archived from the original on March 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
^Sancken, Kristin (October 27, 2010). "Ghostly Legends of Fluvanna County". Fluvanna Review. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
^Thompson, Mary V. (August 22, 2006). (PDF). The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 4, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
^ abHolen, O.T. (June 26, 2008). "Mrs. Robert E. Lee's Visit(s) to Bremo Bluff". Fluvanna Review. Retrieved December 4, 2010.[permanent dead link]
^. The Mount Pleasant Foundation. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
^Lay, K. Edward (2000). The Architecture of Jefferson Country. University of Virginia Press. p. 98. ISBN978-0-8139-1885-3. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
^Chiat, Marilyn Joyce Segal (1997). "Bremo Slave Chapel". America's Religious Architecture: Sacred Places for Every Community. New York City: John Wiley & Sons: 237. ISBN978-0-471-14502-8. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
Further reading
Kimball, Fiske (January 1949). "The Building of Bremo". The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. 57 (1): 43.
Gaines Jr., William H. (Autumn 1956). "A Home Dedicated to Service". Virginia Cavalcade. 6 (2): 20–29.
Waterman, Thomas T. (1945). The Mansions of Virginia. New York. p. 45.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bremo Plantation.
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. VA-302, "Bremo, State Route 656 vicinity, Bremo Bluff, Fluvanna County, VA", 29 photos, 3 data pages, supplemental material
and at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources
National Historic Landmarks Survey photos: Bremo Historic District at the National Park Service
Bremo at the Historical Marker Database
January 07, 2023
bremo, historic, district, bremo, also, known, bremo, plantation, plantation, estate, covering, over, acres, west, side, bremo, bluff, fluvanna, county, virginia, plantation, includes, three, separate, estates, created, 19th, century, planter, soldier, reforme. Bremo also known as Bremo Plantation or Bremo Historic District is a plantation estate covering over 1 500 acres 610 ha on the west side of Bremo Bluff in Fluvanna County Virginia The plantation includes three separate estates all created in the 19th century by the planter soldier and reformer John Hartwell Cocke on his family s 1725 land grant The large neo palladian mansion at Upper Bremo was designed by Cocke in consultation with John Neilson a master joiner for Thomas Jefferson s Monticello The Historic District also includes two smaller residences known as Lower Bremo and Bremo Recess 2 Bremo Historic DistrictU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic Landmark DistrictVirginia Landmarks RegisterPlantation mansion at Upper Bremo HABS photo 1933LocationBremo Bluff VirginiaCoordinates37 43 32 N 78 19 47 W 37 72542 N 78 32973 W 37 72542 78 32973 Coordinates 37 43 32 N 78 19 47 W 37 72542 N 78 32973 W 37 72542 78 32973Area1 500 acres 6 1 km2 Built1725 Lower Bremo 1812 Bremo Recess 1819 Bremo Mansion ArchitectJohn Hartwell CockeThomas JeffersonJohn Neilson c 1770 1827 Architectural styleJacobean Lower Bremo and Bremo Recess Palladian Bremo Mansion NRHP reference No 69000241VLR No 032 0002Significant datesAdded to NRHPNovember 12 1969 2 Designated NHLDNovember 11 1971 3 Designated VLRSeptember 9 1969 1 The plantation which overlooks the James River 4 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971 for its significance as a well preserved example of Jeffersonian archicture 3 2 Contents 1 History 1 1 Construction of the mansion 1 2 Civil War years 2 Architecture 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory Edit John Hartwell Cocke Starting in 1808 John Hartwell Cocke built an estate of three houses along the James River which he named Bremo after his family s ancestral home of Braemore in Scotland 5 One of the original structures was an ancestral hunting lodge at Lower Bremo that was built of stone and dated back to 1725 Cocke inhabited this lodge close to the river as his first home on the estate 6 Around 1812 Cocke completed a larger home for himself and his wife Anne Blaws Barraud at Bremo Recess situated on higher ground farther back from the James River This house featured dormer windows a pointed roof 7 and later incorporated elements of Jacobean architecture 2 Anne died in December 1816 and was buried at Bremo Recess where her ghost has reportedly been sighted wandering in the house 8 Construction of the mansion Edit During his time at Lower Bremo and Bremo Recess Cocke began working on the design of a grand plantation mansion to be built at the Upper Bremo area Cocke spared no expense during the construction utilizing hand molded brick Even the neighboring barn was adorned with columns The construction of the mansion took several years and was completed in 1819 6 At about the same time the lodge at Lower Bremo was renovated for Cocke s son Cary 2 Civil War years Edit Mary Anna Custis Lee During the American Civil War Mary Anna Custis Lee the wife of Confederate General Robert E Lee stayed at Bremo as a guest of the Cocke family Though it was 80 miles 130 km away from her home in Richmond Virginia the James River and Kanawha Canal permitted a relatively comfortable trip by boat Bremo also did not suffer the wartime shortages that had been plaguing Richmond 9 However within a few days of her arrival Lee s health suffered a setback because of a severe fall from her crutches on the finely polished floor 10 Family friend Doctor Cary Charles Cocke built a special bed to accommodate her affliction from rheumatoid arthritis She was usually accompanied by her son Rob and daughters Agnes and Mildred 11 Bremo itself did not escape the effect of the war On March 8 1865 the estate was raided by Union forces General Lee personally visited the plantation that year 12 The Lees stayed intermittently at Bremo until November 1865 after the war The place that was occupied by Mary Anna Custis Lee is still called Mrs Lee s room 11 Architecture EditThe overall design of the mansion was initiated by John Hartwell Cocke with master builder John Neilson c 1770 1827 who had worked with Thomas Jefferson on Monticello The architecture is believed to be based on the Palladian style utilized by Jefferson 13 Although the original plans were destroyed in a fire in 1894 students of Jeffersonian architecture who had seen the drawings said that they had recognized them as the work of Jefferson himself It has been called the most magnificent conception of a house in America 6 The mansion is one story high at its northern entrance but has two stories on the southern side where the land slopes down towards the James River The home is designed with distinct elements of Jeffersonian architecture such as upper windows built at floor level to reduce the visual scale of the structure The landscaping incorporates ha has which were dug out of the view from the mansion while serving to keep livestock from wandering into the yard 14 A monument on the estate named Temperance Spring is an early example in miniature of the Greek Revival style The homes at Lower Bremo and Bremo Recess were rebuilt in their present Jacobean forms in 1844 2 See also Edit Architecture portal Virginia portalBremo Slave Chapel built for the plantation slaves at Bremo Bluff 15 List of National Historic Landmarks in Virginia National Register of Historic Places listings in Fluvanna County Virginia List of plantations in the United States List of reportedly haunted locations in the United StatesReferences Edit Virginia Landmarks Register Virginia Department of Historic Resources Archived from the original on 2013 09 21 Retrieved 2013 03 12 a b c d e f Morton III W B August 21 1971 National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form Bremo Historic District National Park Service Retrieved April 12 2008 a b Bremo Historic District National Historic Landmarks Program National Park Service November 11 1971 Archived from the original on December 26 2007 Retrieved April 12 2008 Map 032 0002 of Bremo Plantation Historic District PDF Virginia Department of Historic Resources February 22 2007 Archived from the original PDF on May 11 2008 Retrieved April 12 2008 Browning Sally February 26 2004 Bremo Bluff From Beginning to End Fluvanna Review Archived from the original on November 30 2012 Retrieved December 4 2010 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link a b c Johnston Clara Cocke 1931 Bremo Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia 127 132 Archived from the original on March 2006 Retrieved December 7 2010 Johnston Clara Cocke 1931 Bremo Recess Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia 125 127 Archived from the original on March 2006 Retrieved December 7 2010 Sancken Kristin October 27 2010 Ghostly Legends of Fluvanna County Fluvanna Review Retrieved December 14 2010 Perry John 2003 Mrs Robert E Lee The Lady of Arlington Random House ISBN 978 1 59052 137 3 Retrieved December 8 2010 Thompson Mary V August 22 2006 Statements by Washington Custis Family Members Concerning Religion God Life Death Charity and Morality PDF The Mount Vernon Ladies Association Archived from the original PDF on August 4 2010 Retrieved December 6 2010 a b Holen O T June 26 2008 Mrs Robert E Lee s Visit s to Bremo Bluff Fluvanna Review Retrieved December 4 2010 permanent dead link Mount Pleasant Timeline The Mount Pleasant Foundation Archived from the original on July 14 2011 Retrieved December 8 2010 Loth Calder 1999 Fluvanna County The Virginia Landmarks Register University of Virginia Press 172 ISBN 978 0 8139 1862 4 Retrieved December 3 2010 Lay K Edward 2000 The Architecture of Jefferson Country University of Virginia Press p 98 ISBN 978 0 8139 1885 3 Retrieved December 14 2010 Chiat Marilyn Joyce Segal 1997 Bremo Slave Chapel America s Religious Architecture Sacred Places for Every Community New York City John Wiley amp Sons 237 ISBN 978 0 471 14502 8 Retrieved December 3 2010 Further reading EditKimball Fiske January 1949 The Building of Bremo The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 57 1 43 Gaines Jr William H Autumn 1956 A Home Dedicated to Service Virginia Cavalcade 6 2 20 29 Waterman Thomas T 1945 The Mansions of Virginia New York p 45 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bremo Plantation Historic American Buildings Survey HABS No VA 302 Bremo State Route 656 vicinity Bremo Bluff Fluvanna County VA 29 photos 3 data pages supplemental material National Register Nomination form and photo at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources National Historic Landmarks Survey photos Bremo Historic District at the National Park Service Bremo at the Historical Marker Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bremo Historic District amp oldid 1092803079, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
