Huguenot Houses in Powhatan and Chesterfield Counties

Hunter's Fare

4141 Maidens Road

Abraham Michaux brought his wife, Suzanne Rochet, and their seven children to

Virginia around 1705 to take advantage of a large land grant given them by the king

of England. Hunter's Fare is a part of this original grant. They met in Holland and

were married there in 1692. When Suzanne was a child, her family had fled to

Holland but, because of her health, left her behind in the care of relatives. When they

arrived in Amsterdam, they sent for Suzanne. Fearing detection, they wrote to the

relatives to "Please send 'the little nightcap' we left behind." A friendly sea captain

packed Suzanne into a hogshead barrel and kept her there until they were safely out

to sea.

Hunter's Fare was built on an 100 acre English land grant by Colonel Jacob Michaux,

the great-grandson of Abraham, in 1796. He married Mary Ann Elizabeth Woodson

when she was 15 years old and they had eight children, several of whom are buried in

the cemetery south of the house.

The original residence consisted of six rooms. The two front doors are a typical

Huguenot tradition. The right front door led to a formal parlor which was used only

when they had company and did not have a door into the main house. The left front

door entered the family parlor. Several dependencies once stood in the yard--a

kitchen, barn, windmill, and ice house--but they no longer survive. Only an old

smokehouse stands. The largest chimney on the north is triangular, serves five

fireplaces, and contains 5000 bricks. The south chimney has an inscription of the

builder, Jacob Michaux, and the date. The back wing of the house was added in 1850

by Tscharner Defraffenreid Michaux, whose portrait hangs in the hall.

Many weddings have taken place at Hunter's Fare through the years. Among them, in

1879, was the marriage of Lelia Neville Michaux to Senator John B. Watkins, founder

of Watkins Nurseries. The property passed out of the Michaux family in the early

1900s, but was later bought and restored by a Michaux descendant. Several family

portraits, a large family Bible, and a framed family tree are preserved at Hunter's

Fare today.

Compiled by Lucille C. Moseley for the 300th Anniversary

Celebrating the Arrival of the Huguenots in Virginia

Huguenot Houses in Powhatan and Chesterfield Counties

Michaux Grant

Michaux Grant takes its name from Abraham Michaux, the French refugee who was

granted the land in 1705. Today parts of the original land grant have been sold to

other owners, who have built homes there. The last house in Michaux Grant Farms is

this one. The center section of the house is the oldest, having been built about 1735.

Later additions were constructed around 1810 by a Michaux descendant. The house

retains its original beaded siding, hand-blown glass in the windows, and heart pine

flooring.

Compiled by Lucille C. Moseley for the 300th Anniversary

Celebrating the Arrival of the Huguenots in Virginia

Huguenot Houses in Powhatan and Chesterfield Counties

Massinacack

4052 Old River Trail

Massinacack takes its name from a branch of the Monacan Indian tribe believed to

have had a village on the property in the 1600s. Sometimes the house is also called

"Lazy Oaks." It was built on a part of the original Michaux land grant. Conflicting

dates of its building have been suggested, 1810 and 1774. Massinacack retains its

original beaded siding, hand-blown window glass, and heart pine flooring.

Compiled by Lucille C. Moseley for the 300th Anniversary

Celebrating the Arrival of the Huguenots in Virginia