The Mendenhall Plantation was built circa 1811 by Richard Mendenhall, a Quaker. The Mendenhalls were originally from Pennsylvania, but settled here in the mid 1700's. Richard's grandfather James was one of the first settlers, and it is from James that our village gets its name. The plantation is the interpretive center of the "Other South", in other words, the south of non-slave holding landowners.
The house has two levels and a basement.
On the first level of the house is:
1) Old Kitchen
2) Gathering Room
3) New Parlor
4) Bedroom
5) Old Parlor
On the second level of the house is:
6) Master Bedroom
7) Middle Bedroom
8) Garret Room
9) Hallway and Silkworm Rooms
THE OLD KITCHEN
In use since 1812 when Richard Mendenhall brought the bride, Mary Pegg, to his new house. The house was lived in until 1957. Though plumbed and electrified by the Chadwick family (second owners), it is interesting that the kitchen was never really modernized. It is now very much as it was when the Mendenhalls lived here. Try to imagine yourself trying to prepare three meals a day under these circumstances. Remember, the family held no slaves. All the work, house and farm, had to be done by the family
THE GATHERING ROOM
This is part of the 1840's addition. We think it was formerly a kitchen garden. It has stone walls below the walls on either side. Simplicity is the prevailing word for Quakers. No ostentation allowed!
THE NEW PARLOR
Part of the 1840 addition. With seven children and many wayfarers and visitors, Richard felt he had to expand the original house.
In this room is a portrait is of William G. Ragsdale who bought the house from tile Chadwicks in 1957 in order to preserve it. His widow, who is our benefactress, gave the property to the Historic Jamestown Society in 1985.
THE DOWNSTAIRS BEDROOM
This room is part of the original house. This room has wide plank floors, original glass in the splayed reveals (windows), arches over the windows and doors, thick outer walls and thin inner ones. Secrets could not be told in this room. One of the many tasks of the women of the house was the making of cloth. After the thread was spun on the spinning wheel it was then put in the weasel (skein winder) in this room. When the weasel was full, it made a popping sound, which is where we get the song, "Pop Goes the Weasel".
THE OLD HALL PARLOR
This was the first parlor. Chair pegs are on the wall and the quilting frame is suspended from the ceiling. Mary Mendenhall would lower the frame when she wanted to quilt, and raise it when she finished. Stairways were considered a waste of space, thus a narrow, curved one.
THE MASTER BEDROOM
The rope bed in this room was a Mendenhall bed. The tool on top was used to tighten the ropes when they became slack. The ticking was often filled with straw or sawdust, so when Mama said to the children, "Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite," she wasn't kidding. The half door was used to bring in furniture hoisted up on the outside since furniture could not be brought up the winding stairs.
THE MIDDLE BEDROOM
This room was possibly the nursery since there is a little niche in the wall to the left of the fireplace for a candle. The sealed window is a mystery. Why it was sealed in such a manner has never been discovered. This room is at the end of the original house, so the window looked outside.
THE GARRET
We don't know what this room was used for - perhaps the boys slept here, dormitory style. There are hand-hewn beams overhead. The east wall brick is the exterior of the original house before the exterior was painted many years ago. This is a fine example of Flemish Bond bricklaying. All of the bricks used in the house were made here by hand!
HALLWAY AND SILKWORM ROOMS
This room was probably built to raise silkworms. The exterior walls in this room are made of wood, not brick. This was because the silkworms required airflow.
THE BASEMENT
The basement has several rooms. Richard is said to have lived in these rooms while building the rest of the house. Local legend says that runaway slaves were hidden here. This, of course, cannot be verified since there were no written records kept of such activity.