Thank you for visiting the Wolfsnare Plantation House. Within this website you will find fascinating images, literature, and history of this almost 300 year old Virginia Plantation Home located in Virginia Beach on West Plantation Road. Please enjoy the website.
Wolfsnare Plantation House History
Wolfsnare Plantation was named after nearby Wolf' Snare Creek. Originally called Van Hick's Creek, the creek was renamed due to the large pits that once existed to trap wolves along its bank.
In 1714 John Pallet purchased 600 acres from the Adam Keeling Family to build his plantation. When Pallett passed away in 1719, he left the completed plantation house and grounds to his son Mathew. Thus, the date of the house has been established as circa 1715. John Pallett's last will and testament can be viewed on the Historical Literature page of this website.
The neighborhood around Wolfsnare, Point O' Woods, was built in the early 1960's with the intent of demolishing the old house to build two new homes. When the streets were designed to maximize land use, it worked out that the original section of the house now faces the rear of a half acre double lot.The house at that time had been divided up into apartments. The contractor liked the old house, so he partially restored the house and made it his office. It originally was accessed by the road now called Old Great Neck Road which was much farther away from the house. A photo of the view from the original road is located on the Historical Literature page.The house was a "waterfront" house at that time, though they did not build so close to the water then, due to the potential for flooding. Perhaps they were more wise than we are now.
At that time Wolfsnare Creek was navigable water and extended up past the Eastern Shore Chapel and onto part of Oceana Naval Base. Pallett was a merchant, importing goods to sell. A small nearby port called "Pallett's Landing" was where Pallett shipped and received goods. Rumors of a secret tunnel exist where spirits were smuggled into the plantation's basement in order to avoid alcohol taxes. There is some evidence of an opening in the basement wall that has long been sealed up.
The house is constructed of 14" thick solid brick walls in a flemish bond pattern. The bricks were formed and fired onsite from clay that was possibly dug from the ground to form the basement that is under the old house. It is a two story house with a gambrel roof that was a design intended to avoid property taxes as well. Homes were taxed based on square footage of living space, so the fact that the upstairs was actually up under the roof line allowed the claim that it was really attic space. Eventually the gambrel roof homes became known as "a story and a half" because a compromise was reached to count all of the first floor space and half of the second floor space to establish the amount of taxes to be paid. The floors in the old section are made of original heart pine and the banister in the foyer is original as well. There was once a door to the right of the dining room fireplace where a window now exists that led outside where the old kitchen would have been located. The kitchens were built separately then because they had a tendency to burn down. There is a fireplace in each room of the house and one in the basement that has been bricked in.
The house is listed in the book "Old Houses of Princess Anne" printed in 1948. There is a photograph that shows the old door in the dinning room bricked up to form a window.
