Camden is an Italian Villa-style house on the Rappahannock River

Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...

 just downriver of Port Royal, Virginia

Port Royal, Virginia

Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census.Port Royal was established in the mid-17th century in the Colony of Virginia primary as a port on a navigable portion of the Rappahannock River for export of tobacco, Virginia's...

. It was built during 1857-1859. During the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, a Union gunboat shot the top off of its tower, which has not been replaced.

Description

Camden is a two-story frame house in a pure Italianate style, clad with flush siding that was originally treated to resemble stone. The tower base projects from the front, with a semicircular porch surrounding its base, looking out over the Rappahannock River

Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...

. The first floor includes a central hall, library, dining room, parlor and a main-level bedroom. The parlor retains its original Victorian rococo furnishings.

History

Camden was built on the site of an earlier house belonging to the Pratt family that dated to 1760. William Carter Pratt demolished this house around 150 to use the prominent site for a new house. He engaged Baltimore architect Nathan G. Starkwether, with construction stating in 1857, completed in 1859. Up-to-dtae in style and technology, the house was equipped with central heating and cooling, gas lights and running water. A private gas works was installed to generate gas for the lights. The house's tower was destroyed by a hit from a Union gunboat in 1863 and never restored.

The site is significant as the home of a Native American

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 family of the late 17th century, where iron trade tools and silver medals have been found.

Designation

Camden was declared a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 in 1971.

It is located on the southeast bank of the Rappahannock River, .5 miles north of the intersection of Camden Road and United States Route 17.

External links

• Camden: 1 photo, at Virginia DHR
• Camden, Rappahannock River, Port Royal vicinity, Caroline County, VA: 38 photos, 3 data pages and supplemental material, at Historic American Building Survey