Scottish merchant John S.
Ker (the original
spelling) built his
two-story brick house in
1799 on 364 acres of land
that his wife, Agnes D.
Corbin Ker, inherited.
He died shortly after the
manor house was completed,
and his son Edward
inherited the estate on
the death of his mother.
With Edward’s death in
1826 the house passed out
of the family and was
owned by several families
before Kerr Place
was sold to the Eastern
Shore Historical Society
in 1960.
The Society offers tours
of the restored
rooms on the first floor
and the exhibit and period
rooms on the second
floor. The furnishings
are period pieces from
1799 to 1840. Great
effort has been made to
restore the original room
colors and decorative
architectural touches like
the plaster moldings and
the faux marble
doorposts. There was no
indication of draperies in
the downstairs rooms;
instead they had interior
folding shutters like the
ones visitors see at each
window. The distinctively
patterned wooden
pianoforte was crafted by
Conrad Graf of Vienna,
Austria in 1804. It is
thought that the
Hepplewhite sideboard was
owned by a Kerr cousin.
In one of the second floor
bedrooms there are
mannequins with period
clothes including an 1800
gold moire dress with a
snail lace shawl and an
1880 wedding dress.
Another room has a small
copy of a portrait of
General John Cropper, the
highest ranking
Revolutionary officer from
this area, along with his
traveling wine case. A
family cradle and bed from
the late 18th century are
also exhibited. The museum
room has a doll
collection, fans, Native
American artifacts and a
trunk with five broad
arrow markings that might
have belonged to Captain
John Smith. The latter is
the oldest piece in the
house.
In 1981 the Garden Club of
Virginia began a grounds
restoration project. No
evidence of gardens or
specific grounds
ornamentation were
discovered. While
retaining the
high-branched shade trees,
shrubs were added as they
might have been planted in
the early 19th century.
These shrub islands, or
shrubberies as they were
originally styled,
incorporate flowering
shrubs around a small
tree. Behind the house, a
walkway bordered by
flowers leads to an
arbor. Specimen trees are
planted on the lawn.
Kerr Place, 69 Market
Street, is open Tuesday
through Saturday from
10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Admission is charged. It
is closed on Sundays,
Mondays and holidays. The
house is in the
picturesque town of
Onancock (the Indian
word for foggy place).
The town originally called
Port Scarburgh, was
founded in 1680 and served
as the county seat until
1693.
Kerr Place is just a few
blocks from the marina on
Onancock Creek, a great
spot for lunch or to board
excursion boats to Tangier
Island (see selection).
This secluded deep-water
harbor is only 2 ½ miles
from the Chesapeake Bay.
From June through
mid-September, daily
cruises leave Onancock
each morning, returning in
the afternoon: for
information call (804)
891-2240 or 787-8220.
While at the harbor you
can enjoy lunch at the
Hopkins & Bros. Store,
built by Captain Stephen
Hopkins in 1842. Now a
Virginia and U.S. Historic
Landmark, it’s one of the
oldest general stores on
the East Coast. General
merchandise and regional
arts and crafts are sold
in the store and local
seafood is served in the
restaurant that overlooks
the harbor. Most of the
fixtures and equipment in
the store are original.
Tangier Island cruise
tickets are sold from the
same window that steamboat
tickets were sold over a
hundred years ago. This
was a major stop for
steamboats plying the
Chesapeake Bay.
Not far from Onancock in
Nassawadox, The Nature
Conservancy schedules boat
trips to The Virginia
Coast Reserve, a
barrier island wilderness
area. The Atlantic’s last
totally unspoiled frontier
contains approximately
40,000 acres of sandy
beaches, salt marsh and
upland terrain. Its
significance as a
privately protected
natural area is recognized
by its designation by the
United Nations as a World
Biosphere Reserve.
The reserve sponsors natural
history field trips to many
of the islands for the hardy
explorer. Neither the boats
nor the islands have public
facilities and there is no
protection from the
elements. The open boats
make it easy to spot the
plentiful waterfowl and
migratory birds. The
islands are breeding grounds
for geese, loons, ibises,
egrets, hawks and even the
rare peregrine falcon.
Before joining one of these
expeditions be sure to
liberally apply both
sunscreen and insect
repellent.
To obtain a schedule of
trips and workshops call the
Virginia Coast Reserve at
(804) 442-3049.
Directions: From I-64 in
Norfolk take Route 13 across
the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel
and continue up Route 13 to
the turnoff for Onancock.
You’ll make a left turn on
Route 179. Kerr Place is
located 1 ½ miles on the
right.