Buckingham County Houses: Keswick, Part I
“Keswick,” Virginia Historical Inventory. Courtesy Library of Virginia.
In 1937, Elizabeth McCraw surveyed “Keswick” for the Virginia Historical Inventory. Built in about 1830, it became the home of William Dibrell Jones c.1840. McCraw describes the house as she found it in the twentieth century:
The old brick walk from the gate to the porch is covered in some places with soil and grass, but it still leads to the house as in days of old. In the yard there many old flower beds, shrubs and large shade trees. The original brick house has been covered with cement and a modern porch 60 feet long has replaced the original one story porch. There is an ivy covered chimney at each end of the house. The large windows with upper and lower sashes different in size are noticeable as one approaches the house. The entrance to the front hall is through double doors. From this broad hall with wainscoting and an elaborate two flight stairway, five doors open into the other rooms, and a stairway leads to the cellar. The rooms are about 20 ft. square, have very high ceilings, large fireplaces and hand carved mantels. A third stairway leads from the second story to the attic. Several of the old doors have been replaced with modern doors. Several pairs of old HL hinges are still to be seen here. Four rooms have been added in the rear of the house to form an “L”.
Coming next: Buckingham Houses: Keswick, Part II
slate river ramblings . . . . 
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