Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

TIMSON HOUSE BLOCK 30-1 #4.
Colonial Lot #323
June 30, 1937.

This house on the corner of Prince George and Nassau Streets is one of the earliest Williamsburg houses still in existence. It stands on lot #323 in the old town plan, and incomplete records of it in York County indicate the following:

The lot^{, with two other lots on Duke of Gloucester Street,} was first deeded to William Timson on March 16, 1715 with two other lots ^{17, 1713 (/14) but the deeds of lease and release for date March 16 and 17, 1715 [16?] and were recorded on March 19, 1715/16, YCR Deeds 3, 109-110} with the proviso that he erect on each lot one or more dwelling houses within the space of twenty-four months.

This was done, evidently, as the next deed to the property is dated May 31, 1717 at which time he sold the three lots to James Sheild "together with the houses thereon" ^{and 200 acres of land in York County} for £300, a large consideration, indicating substantial and valuable buildings on each lot.

After Sheild's death, his son Matthew sold the property on January 28, 1744 to William Pegram, a bricklayer for £60. The next year, on May 16, 1745 Pegram sold the property to James Wray, a well known carpenter and joiner, also for £60. It was purchased from him by John Connelly in August 19, 1772 for £50.

This is the last record traceable to the property. Following the Revolution the house is marked "Ferguson, a spring" on the several town plans. Whether it is John, Joseph or. Daniel Ferguson can not be determined.

The house has been described by two of the old residents of Williamsburg as it was in the period of the War Between the States:

Charles, John S.
Recollections of Williamsburg
Page 10 ...
The house at N.W. Corner of Prince George and Nassau streets is without doubt a very old building, and according to tradition was used by French soldiers either during, or just after, the Revolution. This old house is still standing and in good shape of preservation and repair. It is a story and a half frame building with dormer windows and a basement, and has a single story annex on the west. It is learned that many, many years ago, an old lady lived in this house, and kept cows, which in those days grazed over the ditch banks, open lots and greens of the then verdant city. She, along with many others, in order to get "chinquapin money", and perhaps money to buy other things more substantial, sold, for a long time, butter and buttermilk, and the hill on which this house is located came to be known as "Buttermilk Hill", as no milk has been sold on that hill for generations, it took the name of Minor Terrace, from the fact that Prof. Lucien B. Minor, who was professor of law at the College of William and Mary, and who for many years lived on this hill, immediately opposite to the old house described above, and died there, just preceding the Civil War...

Page 84. ...
On the far southwestern corner of this lot stood,and still stands, a tiny frame, story and a half cottage, which now looks as it did then.^*