A Colonial Journey Through Virginia’s Northern Neck
Presented by Northern Neck Heritage Tours

Day One

Begin your journey at the Capitol building in Colonial Williamsburg. Here we will visit the House of Burgesses and introduce the distinguished gentlemen from the “wild and distant” Northern Neck. The Northern Neck is the northernmost peninsula of the Commonwealth, bordered by the Potomac River, the Rappahannock River, and the Chesapeake Bay. Your costumed, colonial guide will provide a historical overview of the Northern Neck and its relationship with Williamsburg (and Jamestown).

Board your motor coach and go “home” to the Northern Neck by way of Yorktown and Gloucester. During this one-hour journey, your guide will introduce you to the key gentry families whom we will encounter during the tour. After a delicious lunch on the Rappahannock River, visit Historic Christ Church and meet the fascinating Carter family. Christ Church was commissioned by Robert “King” Carter, and is perhaps the finest example of colonial church architecture in the country.

Begin to get acquainted with the powerful Lee dynasty by visiting the Cobbs Hall cemetery. The cemetery includes the grave of Richard Lee I, the immigrant who established the family seat at that site. Nearby stands Cobbs Hall, a third-generation building originally established by the immigrant’s grandson, Major Charles Lee. The present home was built in 1853 on the foundation of a 1720 house. This is the only property once held by Richard I that has remained with his direct descendents over the centuries.

Stroll through the ancestral Lee family home, Ditchley, just a few miles away from Cobbs Hall. The original home was called Hancock’s Neck. Hancock Lee, a son of the immigrant, built the home in 1686.You will visit the second home on the site, which was built in 1762. Here you will also encounter a famous Ball descendent, Jesse Ball DuPont.

Check into your hotel in the quaint town of Kilmarnock. After some rest time, enjoy a dinner cruise on the river. View and learn about the site of Robert “King” Carter’s formidable estate, Corrotoman.

Day Two

Depart Kilmarnock for a trip into the land of Colonel William Ball, the immigrant who established his home here. William’s son, Joseph, was the father of Mary Ball, the mother of our first president. Stop at the museum in Lancaster to trace the earliest years and ancestry of Mary Ball, who was born at nearby Epping Forest.

Cruise up the Rappahannock through Bald Eagle country to historic Leedstown. See the ruins of Brays Church where some 100 Northern Neckers signed the Leedstown Resolves in 1766, under the leadership of Richard Henry Lee. Continue by land to Ingleside Winery for lunch and browsing.

Set off for the George Washington Birthplace, located on Popes Creek within sight of the beautiful Potomac River. View the memorial house, visit the kitchen house, and experience the working colonial farm where George spent his first three years. Visit also the nearby site where John Washington established the first family seat in the 1650s. As the day comes to an end, check into a cozy cabin at Westmoreland State Park. Enjoy dinner in the town of historic Montross, the seat of Westmoreland County.

Day Three

Leave Westmoreland State Park and drive to Menokin, home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, one of two Lee brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. Then take the back roads to the lovely village of Kinsale, an important colonial port town. Visit the local museum and view the beauty of the Yeocomico River.

Travel across the rural landscape to Yeocomico Church and meet up with Mary Ball once again – this time at her childhood parish. The building was constructed in 1706, and a prior one built in 1655 may be enclosed within the present brick structure.

Visit Burnt House Field, the name used locally since 1729 when the Lee family home, Matholic, burned to the ground. This was the first Lee home in Westmoreland County. At the time of the fire, it was occupied by Thomas Lee, the builder of Stratford Hall. View the graves of Thomas Lee, his father, Richard II (son of the immigrant), and Richard Henry Lee, the famous articulator of American independence.

Top out the day with a visit to Stratford Hall. Visit the Great House, built in 1730. This is where Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee grew up, and where Robert E. Lee was born. Enjoy a delicious colonial dinner in the Stratford dining room. Return to Westmoreland State Park for a relaxing evening on the shores of the Potomac River.

Day 4

Depart for home with an armload of scrumptious berries and fruits that you picked yourself at the Westmoreland Berry Farm. Try not to eat them all on the way.

For more information contact:
Jan Beckett
Northern Neck Heritage Tours
804-580-6336
www.NNHT.com