SURRY COUNTY, Va. β In rural Surry County, Virginia, stands a testament to American history that predates the nation itself. Bacon's Castle, built in 1665, holds the distinction of being the oldest brick dwelling in North America. Now preservation experts are working tirelessly to ensure it survives for future generations.
"It is a great structure. It has a lot of history because it has been lived in ever since it was built in 1665," said Mike Adams, a carpenter with Preservation Virginia.
The 17th-century structure may rise only two and a half stories, but its historical significance towers above many more famous landmarks.
Built by the Allen family, Bacon's Castle represents a rare example of Jacobean architecture in the New World.
Preservation Virginia has owned the landmark and its 19th-century outbuildings since 1973.
"A lot of folks are talking about the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution next year, but we have them beat by 100 years," Will Glasco, CEO of Preservation Virginia, said. "The county hasn't faced significant development pressures. There weren't tons and tons of neighborhoods that have popped up in this part of the county so there was no reason to demolish it. There's no reason to tear it down."
While landmarks like Mount Vernon and Monticello may attract more tourists, Bacon's Castle contains layers of American history spanning multiple centuries. The structure has housed wealthy owners, indentured servants, and enslaved people whose descendants continue to share oral histories with preservationists.
Carol Wiedel with Preservation Virginia says the organization works to interpret each chapter of the building's complex past.
"When I walk through the house, I can think of almost feel the families who lived here over the different periods of history. It was very much the beginning of colonization in this country. So it has a lot of personal history and American history in one place," Wiedel said. "People are impressed with it. And you don't expect something so important in Surry County. In such a rural area."
The castle earned its name from an infamous chapter in Virginia's colonial history. In 1676, supporters of Nathaniel Bacon commandeered the house during Bacon's Rebellion, an armed uprising of colonists against the colonial government that occurred a full century before the Declaration of Independence.
"When you go through this house. Room to room you are basically traveling through time," Glasco said.
After three and a half centuries, the elements and natural wear have taken their toll on the structure. Preservation Virginia faces the ongoing challenge of maintaining the building's integrity while preserving its historical authenticity.
"Bacon's Castle has more than 60 windows. And we are painstakingly, restoring each and everyone," Glasco said.
"So these buildings are important because once this stuff is gone, it is gone. This piece of lumber here is not available. It is nearly extinct," Spencer Siebeck, a preservation technician with Preservation Virginia, said.
The preservation work requires specialized skills and constant attention to detail. Siebeck, who also works as a carpenter at the site, says the restoration is an ongoing process.
"That is why it is so important to save this piece of history but make it structurally sound so the building lasts another 200 years," Siebeck said.
The preservation team approaches their work with a deep sense of responsibility to future generations.
"We're trying to conserve history," Adams said. "We're not trying to create it. We are trying to conserve it so the next generation and next generation come and look at it."
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