Along the James River in Virginia, history isn’t confined to monuments or textbooks. It’s still standing in the fields, the floors, and the family that has carried it forward for more than a century at Berkeley Plantation.
“We say we have as much history as any plantation in Virginia,” says Malcolm Jamieson, whose family has preserved Berkeley Plantation for generations.
Berkeley Plantation carries some of the earliest chapters of American history. From the birthplace of Declaration signer Benjamin Harrison V to the childhood home of President William Henry Harrison. It’s also recognized as the site of America’s first official Thanksgiving, a moment that continues to define its place in the national story.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” Jamieson says. “We’ve had President George W. Bush come here for a major address.”
That 2007 visit underscored how the site still resonates in modern political life, even as its origins stretch back to the earliest days of the Republic.
“Founding Fathers Danced on These Floors”
Inside the historic home, tour guides still point to the original floors, highlighting wooden boards that have carried centuries of footsteps and stories.
“When this is the ballroom on the floor that you guys are standing on right now, because these are the original floors from 1726,” says tour guide Clarence Harrison. “On these floors at a Harrison party dance, our first 10 presidents from President George Washington and President John Tyler, the first 10 all danced on these floors.”
While the original floors remain intact, it’s a tribute to the rich history that have laid the foundation for America’s past.
“Benjamin Franklin danced on these floors. Alexander Hamilton danced on these floors. The Frenchman who helped in the revolution, Lafayette danced on the floors. All those people danced on these floors of the Harrison party… that’s 11 U.S. presidents who walked on the floor that you guys are standing on this afternoon.”
Harrison adds that even Thomas Jefferson’s influence is still visible in the craftsmanship throughout the home. Some of the doors and woodwork were an inspiration that came from Jefferson, and it’s a reminder of how deeply the estate is tied to the nation’s founding era.
A Working Farm That Never Stopped Producing
But Berkeley Plantation is not just preserved history. It’s still a working farm today.
“Here we call this the Rovershaw Field and it is one of our most productive,” Jamieson says. “You can see 15, 20-inch corn there now that just got a blessed drink of water last night.”
The farm continues under modern management practices across roughly 800 acres still in production.
“We farm at no-till. We haven’t owned a plow for over 25 years,” Jamieson says. “We try to take really good care of the soil use, most modern equipment, low impact, everything that we can to keep it producing. And it’s one of the most productive farms in Virginia.”
A Family Legacy Built From Near Ruin
The Jamieson family’s stewardship began with a chance discovery that changed everything. The Harrisons were the original owners, but after they were forced to leave, the house sat vacant for decades. That was until Jamieson’s grandfather took a chacne.
“An ad for the sale of the place was in the Wall Street Journal and it fell on the floor,” Jamieson says. “And he picked it up, at least that’s where the story goes.”
When his grandfather purchased Berkeley in the early 1900s, the estate was in disrepair. The house had no windows. Farm animals were living inside. And rooms were being used to store grain. People were living in the home, even though they didn’t own it.
But it’s Jamieson’s grandfather who saw past the despair and envisioned the beauty it could become. But his grandfather died at a young age, and his dad, who was only in his teens, decided to carry the restoration project on.
“It’s really been a labor of love and a hard struggle with no outside money every year, scrapping by it first and then slowly doing more renovation and more things,” Jamieson says. “So it was not at all an inherited fortune. It was done by hard work over three generations.”
The attention to detail has caught the attention of even Hollywood. Twelve movies have been filmed at this iconic plantation, including
the 2019 film Harriet. The filmmakers used the exterior of the 1726 Georgian mansion and its scenic grounds to double as the Auburn, New York home of abolitionist and Senator William Seward.
For the production, the film crew built reconstructed slave quarters on the estate. These structures were relocated to the property’s historic area after filming wrapped and are now part of a permanent exhibit detailing the lives of the enslaved workers who lived there.
“We Plan to Stay Open as Long as We Can”
For Jamieson, preservation and the “labor of love” is about more than buildings or tourism. It’s about ensuring the past remains visible and relevant.
“You know what people have said about history?” he says. “If you don’t learn to embrace it, you’re destined to repeat it. So I think it’s still very important. And we plan to stay open as long as we can.”
As the nation marks 250 years of independence, Berkeley Plantation stands as something rare: a place where history isn’t only remembered, but still lived. Where founding-era floors still carry visitors. And where farmland along the James River still produces, just as it has for centuries.
Read more stories as we celebrate Roots of a Nation: American Agriculture Over 250 Years
