Bacon’s Castle

ca. 1665

465 Bacon's Castle Trail, Surry, VA 23883

BACON'S CASTLE IS NOW OPEN

Bacon's Castle is an architectural gem featuring distinctive triple-stacked chimneys and curved Flemish gables. One of only three surviving high-style Jacobean structures in Western Hemisphere, it is the oldest datable brick house in Virginia. Built in 1665, Bacon's Castle affords visitors a rare opportunity to step back in time into the 17th century.

Bacon's Castle was orginally home to a prosperous planter, Arthur Allen, and his family. Following Allen's death the house was inherited by his son, known as Major Allen. A supporter of the colonial governor and member of the House of Burgesses, Major Allen was driven from his house in 1676 by followers of Nathaniel Bacon, whose uprising later came to be known as Bacon's Rebellion. The episode which later gave Bacon's Castle its name. The house remained in the Allen family until 1844 and the plantation was actively farmed into the 20th century.

Preservation Virginia acquired Bacon's Castle from the estate of the last private owners of the house in the 1970s. After an extensive research and restoration effort the house was opened to the public in 1983. The house was closed again in 2011 for a year of research and interpretive planning.

Bacon's Castle once again welcomes visitors for the 2012 season. Visitors to the house can enjoy a self-guided tour of the grounds, outbuildings, restored 17th-century gardens, also a museum store and picnic tables. A cell phone tour is available dawn to dusk on days when the site is not open to the public.

Visitor Information

Hours

March- November

Friday’s : 10am to 4pm

Saturday’s 10am to 4pm

Sunday’s 12-4pm

Admission

Preservation Virginia Members:	Free (Become a Member)
General Admission:	$8
Senior Citizens:	$6
AAA Members:	$7
Students:	$5
Children Under 6:	Free

Block Tickets (w/ Smith's Fort Plantation):

General Admission $12; Senior Citizens $10

Group Tours:

Groups of ten or more are charged at a rate of $5.00 per person. Group tours are available at any time by arrangements made no less than one week in advance of the visit. The minimum charge for groups on non-scheduled open days is $100.