Rolfe-Warren House, Smith's Fort Plantation

217 Smith Fort Lane

Surry, VA  23883

757-294-3872

Smith’s Fort Plantation was originally part of Pocahontas’s dowry. It was presented by the Indian chief, Powhatan, to the Englishman, John Rolfe, upon his marriage to Pocahontas in 1614. There had been the beginnings of a fort, ordered by Captain John Smith in 1608 to serve as a refuge for the Jamestown settlers in the event of an attack, but the fort was never completed. For years the house which was later built on the property was called the Rolfe–Warren House. It was thought to have been built in the 17th century, by either John Rolfe or Thomas Warren. However, by the 1970’s, dendrochronological study had established a building date of 1763, when the plantation belonged to the Falcon family. In 1928, John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought the plantation, and later gave it to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA). In 1935, the APVA approached The Garden Club of Virginia for help in restoring the garden. A typical 18th century domestic garden was designed surrounded by a white picket fence with the grid of walks defining planting beds. Two out-buildings for garden use were also added, as there was evidence of other buildings on the site.