VIRGINIA BEACH — In 1850, the area now known as Hickory existed as a rural bedroom community to Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
The Dismal Swamp Canal had been built 50 years earlier, and intercoastal water transportation was beginning to bolster the economies of all Tidewater. The historic house at 2410 Chesapeake Turnpike was constructed during this time.
Even a cursory glance at the Hickory Wood Plantation will reveal that it is historic and unique. Styled with classic Antebellum architecture, the front of the home features columns, rows of windows and a wide front porch.
“The house was built in 1850 and from the information we have obtained was originally the Wood family plantation,” said former owner John Abnet. “Originally the house sat approximately 300 yards west of its current location and owned all the land to the railroad tracks that cross head of River Road. The house was moved in the 1980s to its current location.”
The interior maintains a grand plantation style in its every detail. Lofty ceilings, ornate, hand-carved banisters, and rich 150-year-old hardwood animate the bones of the home with dignity. From the jewel-toned stained glass in the windows to the custom built-in shelves in the bedrooms, there are fragments of 175-year-old stories lingering in every corner of the home.
With five bedrooms and three baths and totaling 4,300 square feet, it would have been no small feat to move this home the 300 yards that it traveled in the 1980s.
The home also has four brick fireplaces throughout. These fireplaces, as well as others which have been removed since the home has been modernized, would have served as the only heat source for family members during the Civil War era.
Recent owners have updated the Hickory Wood Plantation over the years by adding a 40,000-gallon pool as well as a standalone adjacent apartment, complete with a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.
Virginia Beach real estate agent Austin Frangoules said, “I have been working as a Real Estate Agent in the Hampton Roads area for over 3 years, looked at over 1,000 houses and have never come across one with so much beauty and history infused into it. You have to see it in person to see what I mean.”
The home is no longer on the market, but more photos and information are available here.
