scotchtown

Built in 1719, Scotchtown was the marital home of Patrick Henry and Sarah Shelton. Patrick Henry was living at Scotchtown when he delivered his famous 'Give me liberty or give me death!' speech that swung the Virginia House of Burgesses' vote in favor of Revolution. Preservation Virginia has faithfully restored the home to its 18th century appearance, and if you watch the AMC television series TURN, you'll recognize Scotchtown serving as George Washington's headquarters. Scotchtown offers a tour of the house, a cell-phone audio tour of the grounds, recreated gardens and outbuildings, a picnic area, and gift shop.

We were on our way home from PA (on the back roads) and started seeing signs for Patrick Henry's Scotchtown and decided to look for it. It was a long drive from where we were but it was a beautiful scenic drive. Just when we thought we were on the wrong road we saw the sign. The entrance was closed but a lady working in the yard told us we could walk around the gate and come in. We couldn't go into any of the buildings but it was still very interesting.

Scotchtown – My wife and I attended the special tour of Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown plantation in Hanover County on Saturday night, October, 25, 2014. We arrived about 7:00pm and found the parking lot nearly full. Signs lead you to the gift shop where you purchase your tour ticket for $5.00 per person. The guides decide when to take a group into the house based on the number of people present. Our group had about 10 people. This special tour is not the full day-time tour, but a special “death practices of the 1700’s,” tour – at night. The house tour was very good, we thought the highlight of the tour was the basement where PH’s wife was kept while she was insane. We plan on returning for the daylight tour and to see the grounds.

My wife, two daugthers (16 and 13) and i went to Scotchtown to take the tour of Patrick Henry's home the week before Halloween. They changed the tour up to discuss habits of people back in the times of Patrich Henry regarding death and the deceased. It was interesting to hear about some of the practices that seem so unusual today, but were the norm back then. The location is a bit off the beaten path and this site competes with tons of other sites around the Greater Richmond Area, so it is probably not as well attended as it would be otherwise, but we found the experience to be a good one and we were glad to have gone. The home itself is interesting and the English Basement, where Patrick Henry had to keep his first wife after she develped a mental illness, was escpecially interesting.We'd do it again.

Felt authentic. The staff sure changed misconceptions. Came away feeling like I had learned true historyDidn't like the Yankee/South feelings

Scotchtown was the home of Patrick Henry leading up to the American Revolution. You are able to tour the home with a guide, but are able to walk the grounds and other buildings on your own. It costs $8 per adult, $7 for AAA members or active duty military. As such it is affordable and lets you see a piece of history that most, myself included, had never heard of before. It is only open Friday through Sunday so make sure to plan accordingly. There is a cell phone tour available at any time if you visit when the house is closed. I never got it to work when I tried it out so not sure how good it is.The tour guide was knowledgeable and energetic about providing the history of Scotchtown from when it was first built until it became under the care of the current preservation group. I got to see pretty much the entire house which was open to the public. A few rooms were still under renovation and were not open at the time I was there, but I believe the intent is to open up the entire home at some point. Everything in the house is from that time period. There are only a few items left however that belonged to Patrick Henry himself. The cellar had a room made up to what is believed on how what it looked like when Patrick Henry's wife, Sarah, was kept when she was considered insane. If you are looking for something to do out of the ordinary, Scotchtown is definitely worthwhile. It is worth the trip, for all ages will enjoy learning about Patrick Henry.

Well, for eight dollars not a bad value. I was a little disappointed at the amount of the house that we got to see, really less than half. However, it was nice to be on a small tour and the guide took his time. I think I spent over an hour and half total on the tour of the house and grounds. In addition, the guide was excellent (Lynwood) and I most enjoyed just the history of Henry himself. I asked several questions early on and found that the guide was able to significantly branch out into several aspects of colonial/revolutionary/Virginia history as well as the history of Henry himself or the original owners of the home (Chiswell's). Very pleased with his level of knowledge. Kind of out of the way for tourists hitting the Richmond area so you almost have to make this part of your focus for the day. Who should go? Those who are fascinated with Colonial/Revolutionary History, those who have already hit some of the more well known sites in the Richmond area, and anyone who lives in the Greater Richmond area. I would suggest going on the tour, go for some bbq in Ashland afterwards, walk around small downtown Ashland shopping, and then go to Center of the Universe for a Beer. Stairs are minimal. One of the individuals on the tour just had a hip replacement and was able to complete the tour. Ample parking so that should not be a problem.

This tour is great for history buffs. I learned so much. Lynn was our guide during the tour and she is top notch. She knows her American history! If you have young children it may get tedious for them at times. However, Lynn did a good job keeping my 7 year old son engaged and he loved petting and feeding the sheep. Guided tours of the house are only Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays or by appointment, but you can also walk the grounds with a phone tour Mon.-Thurs. I will be returning for one of the special events...maybe for 4th of July, or Halloween, or about Christmas, or about cooking. Check the website for the schedule of special events. Another cool fact is that the new tv show "Turn" about a Revolutionary War spy ring was filmed here. Excellent experience.

A friend and I drove up a couple of months ago on the day a presentation called Give Me Chocolate or Give Me Death (by Chocolate!) about chocolate in colonial times was being held so we had a double treat for the visit. First, and most important was the tour. Our docent, Lynn Price, was exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate about Scotchtown and it's history. There's no way I'd ever learned 95% of that from the history classes of my youth. Particularly touching was Patrick Henry's treatment of his first wife Sarah as she battled mental issues. An extra treat was seeing the sheep! Hog Island Sheep if I recall the name correctly. Not the lambs of nursery rhymes, these guys and gals are a bit, what, more robust, than Mary's little lamb... a fun add to the visit! Our visit was shortly after the production of the TV program TURN was filmed there so it was neat to learn about how the shooting went there and an extra treat to spot bits of Scotchtown when I saw the show on TV! It was a fun stop and I hope to get back in the fall to see the area surrounded by all of its autumn colors. As with the rest of VA, it's a lovely place to visit...and not far from Williamsburg, Richmond, Monticello or even Mount Vernon...there's no good reason not to stop in for a most pleasant experience and a bit of education too!

Lynn Price gave us a wonderful tour of Scotchtown. The house is beautifully restored and so full of history. It is located in a beautiful, quiet setting and a must-see for all, especially Patrick Henry fans.

We spent a very nice morning here touring the building and grounds. We learned a number of things about Patrick Henry that we didn't know before, as well as seeing the property we had heard about in some stories. It was very nice to find out about some of the background behind one of America's most famous early citizens.

My docent group and I went here just this morning, and we had a great time! It's a lovely place, and very interesting if you are into 18th century history! Not all the things in the house are of the appropriate time period, but they do a pretty good job!

I had a personal tour by a knowledgeable docent. I had already been to Williamsburg so I knew a lot about Patrick Henry but I learned more on this tour. Henry did not want to become a professional politician (he turned down an offer to run for President) because he needed to make money to support his 18 children. Portraits of his relatives and the prominent families, e.g., the Dandridges, into which they married adorn the house. The furnishings throughout the house are authentic to the period.

At this remote farm in the country, one obtains a sense not only of 18th century buildings and furniture, but also Patrick Henry, Virginia's Great Orator (" Give me liberty, or give me death"), and yet because of his opposition to the Constitution, also its strangely neglected founding father. The cell phone self-guided tour is rich, but to gain access to the 1720's house, one must pay for a tour. The tour is worth the visit. From the guide's description of well-appointed rooms, Patrick Henry comes alive!