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Wallaceton Through The Centuries Traditional Cache

Hidden : 3/21/2016
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Wallaceton is a historic home located in Chesapeake, VA.

It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

3 acres NRHP REFERENCE 94000455

Added to NRHP MAY 19, 1994

 

11/2 story, rectangular, Greek Revival style frame dwelling.

It has flat corner pilasters, a heavy box cornice under the eaves,

and a full width front porch on 3 acres of land.

 

The original section was built between 1853 and 1863 as a company store.

 

Captain John G. Wallace wounded in the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864.

He returned with his bride, Veronica. 

He made additions to change it from a store to their home. 

The store was moved into the Superintendent’s House next door.

 

From 1850’s to the 1880’s The Wallace Company lumber mill consisted of the

mill building itself, with a feeder ditch off the canal to load lumber, along with

a blacksmith/woodworking shop, the ranch house, a packing/shipping shed and

a camp for laborers all on the west side of the canal.  Across the canal and

approximately one-half mile south of the mill, stood a shuck factory where

corn from the Wallace farms was shucked to make husk mattresses.

 

The ranch house was where the mill and farmhands had their midday meal and

rest. The meal was cooked here at Wallaceton and brought across the canal on

a “float bridge”, a sort of barge on chains.

 

The white house on the left is the Wallaceton House before the widening.


In 1896 The Dismal Swamp Canal was dredged and enlarged putting 

the house only a few feet from the bank and now on canal property. 

The house was moved approximately one hundred feet to the east, where

it was placed on graded soil from the dredging of the canal. 

 

In 1910, John G. Wallace II inherited the house from his father.

 

John II, living in Norfolk, started renovating Wallaceton for his wife, Mildred.

He added a large dining room to the east of the house and made the old dining room into the kitchen. When Mildred visited during the renovation, said she refused to live in the house until the new kitchen was connected with the main house. Thus, a small hyphen was built, within which may be seen the exterior walls of both the main house and the kitchen wing.  Acetylene lights and indoor plumbing were also added.

 

The Wallace’s moved into the renovated house in 1919.

 

In addition to this family of five, two uncles and two schoolteachers lived in

this three-bedroom house. Other family members would come for extended stays in the summers. There were also weekend visitors who would arrive by

the passenger boat Emma Kay from Norfolk.

 

John II died in 1945 and his wife, Mildred inherited the house.

Upon her death in 1976, the house was left to their son John G. Wallace III.

 

John III, like his father, was an avid photographer.  John enclosed a section of

the northernmost room on the first floor for use as a darkroom. 

 

After John III’s death in 1992, his four children jointly inherited the property,

which is now rented.  George T. Wallace IV, intends to live in and refurbish

the 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 2586 Square foot house.

 

Wallaceton 2016


GC6B99T– Glencoe Plantation
Visit this cache to learn more about the Wallace Family and Home


GC6AEXZ – Wallace Family Cemetery
Visit this cache to pay your respects to George and Elizabeth


GC6BK1R – Glencoe Diary
Visit this cache to learn about Elizabeth’s Civil war writings


GC6C6HZ – Wallace Family in Magnolia Cemetery
Visit this cache to pay your respects to the Wallace Family


GC6C4WR – Wallaceton Superintendent's House
Visit this cache to see the Superintendent's House


-:¦:- Congratulations MOM&DAD2L&L  - FTF -:¦:-

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Yvggyr Ubhfr - grgurerq ybj Fznyyrfg gerr va pyhfgre bs 4 - 15 srrg bss gur genvy

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)