Lynnhaven House, Virginia Beach, Virginia, A Colonial Home in a Modern Beach Town

The year was 1725 when a Virginia farmer by the name of Francis Thelaball built his home near the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The home was a medieval style cottage with huge chimneys that flanked the house on each end. Today, Lynnhaven House still looks much as it did in the early 18th century.

Unlike some of the more well-known museum houses in the area, such as Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, this home provides a glimpse into the life of a middle-class planter rather than a wealthy plantation owner.

Originally, the home, located at 4405 Wishart Road, stood on a 250 acre plantation. Today only five and a half acres remain, and on those acres visitors will find woods, a garden and a small Revolutionary War graveyard.

In spite of the fact that the home has never had electricity or running water, it remained in use as a private residence until 1971. It was at that time that the property was purchased by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA). Upon acquiring the property, the APVA began a massive restoration project. The home, built of brick in the English bond pattern, is about 85% original and all of the furnishings reflect what would have been found in a home in the early 18th century.

The APVA not only maintains Lynnhaven House, but also provides educational programs for visitors and school groups. In 2006, the Colonial Education Center at Lynnhaven House was completed on the property. The modern 4,000 square foot building houses the welcome center and ticket sales for the museum as well as a gift shop and a theater where educational videos about Colonial life at Lynnhaven House are shown.

Several costumed interpreters are always on hand answering questions and busying themselves with tasks and crafts just as they would have done in the early 18th century. The APVA works to make the experience of visiting Lynnhaven House interesting for young visitors by starting the tour by asking children "Would you have liked to have been a child in the 1700's?'' The remainder of the tour is spent showing the children exactly what a day in the life of an 18th century child was like.

In fact, visitors of every age can get a good idea exactly what their life would have been like had they lived at Lynnhaven House in 1725.

Visitors can watch as Colonial interpreters plant seed, fashion barrels, work on quilts and take part in many other day to day Colonial activities. There is also plenty of opportunity to ask questions giving even more insight into the day in the life of a Colonial Virginia farmer.