On November 27, 1926, under an ancient oak tree behind the 18th-century home of Burwell Bassett  (nephew of Martha Washington), John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Reverend W.A.R. Goodwin first met to plan the restoration of Williamsburg, the 18th-century capital of the colonies.  As they strolled back to town, Rockefeller said if he came back to Williamsburg he'd like to picnic beneath the oak. 

            It became easy for Rockefeller to picnic at Bassett Hall after he purchased the 585-acre estate in 1936.  From this comfortable vantage point the Rockefellers watched the rebirth of Williamsburg.  John D. Rockefeller, Jr. ultimately spent $60 million on the restoration of the venerable city and contributions by other family members brought the figure to $100 million.

A tour of Bassett Hall reveals a great deal about the Rockefeller life style.  From the moment you enter the informal sitting room, the first room on the self-guided, audiotaped tour, one decorative influence is immediately apparent---Mrs. Rockefeller's folk art collection.  There are 200 pieces from her extensive collection in this home and more than 400 pieces at the nearby Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center (see selection). 

Bassett Hall represents a mix of decorative styles.  In the hall passageway, which in colonial times served as the summer living room, you'll see a collection of Chinese export paintings.  The paint was applied on the back side of the glass.  Such paintings had to be carefully shipped, for if the glass broke the picture was lost.

            In the formal parlor there is another unusual style of painting called mourning pictures.  Painted by school girls and much in vogue after the death of George Washington, these depicted graveyard scenes full of tombstones.  There are additional examples of these morbid works upstairs, though the master bedroom has stenciled pictures with cheerful subjects such as flowers, fruits and birds.  Throughout Bassett Hall you see objects acquired by Mrs. Rockefeller's sister, Lucy, on her travels.  She purchased the crocheted bedspread in the master bedroom from the Royal School of Needlework in England.  Mrs. Rockefeller herself was a talented needleworker, as a trunk full of rugs made by her attests.

In the sitting room of the new wing there is an unusual painting of General Washington crossing the Delaware.  The faces of all the men in the boat resemble George Washington.

Back downstairs you'll see the formal dining room, which Mrs. Rockefeller described in a letter to her son David as “the most pleasant room in the house.”  Although the dining room is quite elegant, when the heads of state from around the world attended the Summit of Industrialized Nation in May 1983, they enjoyed lunch in the garden overlooking the oak allee.

Explore the grounds before you end your tour of Bassett Hall.  There are three original outbuildings: a smokehouse, kitchen and dairy.  A modern tea house, or orangery, was added by the Rockefellers.

Bassett Hall is open daily 9:00 A.M. to 4:45 P.M., except Wednesday which is by appointment.  Appointments can be arranged at any Colonial Williamsburg ticket office.  Admission is by Colonial Williamsburg’s Good Neighbor Card, Patriot’s Pass or Museums Ticket.

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