Pine Slash

Photograph of Pine Slash, the first plantation owned by Patrick Henry. Known as "Piney Slash" in the 18th century, the property contained a 300-acre tract of land cut from his father-in-law's plantation, Rural Plains. Henry inherited the property through his wife, Sarah Shelton's, dowry, along with 12 enslaved persons to work the plantation. Henry intended to provide for his family here and labored alongside those he enslaved.

Unfortunately, the poor soil and persistent drought, coupled with a lack of workers and Henry's inexperience, led to low tobacco yields. To the further detriment of the young couple, a fire broke out in 1757, destroying their house and most of their possessions.

The small building shown in this photograph is known as the "Honeymoon Cottage," but is believed to have originally been an overseer's quarters. Following the fire, Patrick and Sarah Henry, along with their two young children, moved into this building and lived there for approximately six months. It is a one-story cabin with three rooms, an attic, and a half cellar, with the third room having been added sometime around 1800. The Henry family resided here until moving into Hanover Tavern, owned by Sarah's father.

This photograph was taken as part of the Virginia Historical Inventory Project—a New Deal program of the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s—by photographer Evan James Archer. The project sought to collect and catalog photographs, maps, and other objects detailing the architectural and familial histories of thousands of 18th- and 19th-century buildings across Virginia.