Magnolia Grange

Magnolia Grange, 1893

Magnolia Grange, 2016

Name: Magnolia Grange

Date Constructed: 1822

Reason for Construction: Private Residence

History of the Site: Magnolia Grange was built in 1802 by William Winfree atop a previous residence destroyed in a fire in 1808. It remained in his family until 1845 and eventually ended up in the hands of the DuVals about 10 years later. While they fled the house during the Civil War, it was left untouched due to the DuVal’s being French Huguenots and both sides of the Civil War wanting French support. When the DuVals returned, they attempted to profit off of the house in many ways, including by chopping down the namesake magnolias, but they were eventually forced to sell the property. The house then passed through two additional owners before being bought by the Cogbill Family in 1881. It then remained in the possession of the Cogbills until 1969, when it was sold at an auction, and remained a private residence until 1984, when it was sold to the Chesterfield Historical Society.

History of the Area: Chesterfield County was founded in 1749 after splitting from Henrico County due to the citizens feeling uninvolved in their local government. While it was initially agricultural, it eventually became more of a mining area. When Route 1 was built in the early 20th century, it ran through Chesterfield, so lodging and other tourist-related venues sprouted up. The area became more developed in the post-war era, with places such as Southside Plaza sprouting up as the county became more suburbanized. Iron Bridge, the street on which the estate currently rest, is a part of VA Route 10, which was constructed in 1918. From then until 1928, it was the most significant roadway in the state. Like the rest of the area, Iron Bridge suburbanized, as the rest of Chesterfield did.

Changes to the Site: Magnolia Grange has changed very little since 1984, being largely untouched by the development of the rest of the county. However, this was very intentional, with the house being owned by an organization dedicated to the preservation of Chesterfield’s historical sites. Strangely enough, though, reservation seems to have been a goal of even the owners of the place when it was a private residence, with the later private owners restoring the area, and the nomination of the site for the National Registry called the commercial development a threat. However, as stated before, the magnolia trees for which this site was named have been removed, in addition to the area of the site itself being cut down significantly due to being right off of Iron Bridge.

Changes to the Area: Chesterfield, in contrast with Magnolia Grange, has changed extensively. Most notably, it has changed from the days of the house’s construction in that Chesterfield is no longer rural, which can be deduced from how the area was relatively based in mining. Instead, due to the construction of Route 1 and the post-war development, it has turned into a suburban area.

Reflections: From this research, I have learned that progress and advancement is an inevitable consequence of time. This is particularly evident in Magnolia Grange due to those who applied it for the NRHP, considering commercial development a threat; yet, it eventually was surrounded by said development, only remaining in its current state due to preservation efforts on the part of the CHS. Not even the area in front of the house in entirely untouched, with a parking lot and brick pathway being added within the lifetime of the house. Additionally, electricity was added relatively recently, ensuring that progress, while late, eventually came to this house. And I also believe that this fate will befall other historical sites, either to make it more convenient to be shown its historical significance, as is the case with the Chesterfield Historical Society upon buying the house, or with disregard to any historical significance it may hold in the future, like the actions of private owners throughout the house’s history.

Sources

Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia. Lecture, Magnolia Grange,  Chesterfield, VA, March 12, 2016.

Clark, Frances Watson. Chesterfield County. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pulishing, 2006.

National Park Service US Department of the Interior. National Registration of Historic Places Inventory. Compiled by National Park Service. Report no. 10 300. N.p.: n.p., 1980. Accessed February 17, 2016. http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/counties/chesterfield/020-0074_magnolia_grange_1980_final_nomination.pdf.

Strong, Dave. “The Virginia Highways Project.” http://www.vahighways.com/. Last modified September 25, 2005. Accessed April 4, 2016. http://www.vahighways.com/route-log/va010.htm.

Author: JaKoby Cuthbertson