DLA Aviation Headquarters
American Indian Monument
Manor House
Gregory Cemetery
African American Cemetery
Mr. James Bellwood
The post occupies one of the oldest inhabited parcels of land in the country. American Indian artifacts found here date back to between 1,200 and 3,500 B.C. and indicate it was used as a trade site. A monument, dedicated in 2002, marks the spot where more than 1,000 artifacts were found.
In 1619, Thomas Sheffield received a 2,300 acre land grant from the Crown of England. He was part of the original Jamestown settlement and journeyed into this area with his family. In 1622, the Sheffield family and other settlers were killed during an Indian raid. In 1634, Seth Ward received the property as a land grant from Henrico Shire and named it Auburn Chase.
In 1797, Richard Gregory purchased 1,000 acres of Auburn Chase and named his plantation New Oxford. He built Manor House between 1797 and 1804. It is one of the oldest houses in Chesterfield County and is listed as a national historic landmark. It is an example of the Georgian-style architecture favored by Virginia planters during the 18th century.
Gregory was one of the wealthiest landowners and largest slaveholders in the county. He and his family are buried here in a family plot with 14 known graves. The graves were originally located in an open meadow; the government enclosed the plot when it purchased the land.
During construction of the post’s child care center in 1998, fragments of human bone were found. An archeologist unearthed the graves of six people of African American descent: three males and three females, ranging in age from 18 to 45 years. Notices were placed in local newspapers to see if anyone would be able to identify or claim the remains, without success. The six people were re-interred during a 1999 ceremony in a plot close to where they were originally found.
Richard Gregory's daughter, Sarah
In 1847, the land passed to Gregory’s daughter Lavinia and her husband Major Augustus Drewry. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Drewry joined the Confederate Army and helped construct a fort on the edge of the property known as Drewry’s Bluff, or Fort Darling. The fort overlooked the James River and was designed to prevent Union boats from reaching Richmond.
In May 1864, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard made the site his headquarters and met with Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Manor House to discuss plans for halting the Union’s advance on Richmond.
After the war, Drewry traded the farm to Captain James Jones. Jones wasn’t successful at farming, since the land was worn out from tobacco and cotton crops. In 1887, the property was sold to James Bellwood whose name continuesto be associated with the site.
Bellwood paid $18.50 per acre for 2,000 acres of land and made Manor House his home and the property became known as Bellwood Farms.
To restore the productivity of the soil, Bellwood introduced crop rotation, used mulching and natural fertilizers and installed miles of drainage tiles and levees. Kingsland Creek fed two ponds on the property: Parker Pond and another where the post pool is now located.