National Register of Historic Places

Moss Neck Manor

Rappahannock Academy, Caroline County, Virginia
Listed
January 27, 1999
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
99000069

About this property

Moss Neck Manor is a historic antebellum plantation house located at Rappahannock Academy, Caroline County, Virginia, United States. James Parke Corbin (1808-1868) inherited the plantation, which did not have a significant house, from his father, Richard Corbin (1771-1819). After his and his father's main plantation house, Laneville in King and Queen county, burned in 1843, Corbin began construction of the manor in the then-popular Greek Revival style. Enslaved labor probably both helped construct the building, as well as provided the income for the building project. In the 1850 census, Corbin owned 33 enslaved people in King and Queen County, and about 100 in Caroline County. The house was completed in 1856, shortly after the death of his first wife, the former Jane Katherine Wellford. She had already borne three sons, all of whom would fight for the Confederacy: Richard Corbin (1833-1863), Spottswood Wellford Corbin (1835-1897), and James Parke Corbin Jr.(1847-1909). Their younger daughter Katherine (1839-1920) would marry CSA staff officer Sandie Pendleton during the conflict described below. The two-story central section features long hyphens, and pedimented terminal wings. The colonnaded verandahs have Doric order columns, a two-level portico, and octagonal cupola. The house measures 225 feet long. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Moss Neck Manor, situated about 10 miles from the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg, was then owned by the Corbin family. The Corbins invited General Stonewall Jackson to stay at Moss Neck Manor during the winter of 1862–63. He declined to stay in the main house, but accepted the use of an office outbuilding. Moss Neck Plantation became the winter quarters of the Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. Jackson entertained Confederate generals Robert E. Lee, Jeb Stuart, and William N. Pendleton in the office on Christmas Day, 1862. The event was depicted, somewhat inaccurately, in the film, Gods and Generals. Mrs. Thomas Jackson (Anna) with infant daughter, Julia Jackson, arrived by train at Guiney's Station on April 20, 1863, for a visit with General Jackson. They stayed at nearby Belvoir. Julia Jackson was baptized by the Reverend Tucker Lacy three days later. The visit ended suddenly nine days later when a report came that Union forces had crossed the Rappahannock River near Chancellorsville, Virginia. The 290-acre property is privately owned by Gilbert and Judy Shelton. The house has been renovated and updated and is occasionally open for tour.

Location

Rappahannock Academy, Caroline County, Virginia
38.20824, -77.32760

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Moss Neck Manor listed on the National Register?

Moss Neck Manor was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Moss Neck Manor?

Moss Neck Manor is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Moss Neck Manor?

The period of significance for Moss Neck Manor is recorded as the industrial era.

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