North Bend: A Late 19th-Century Home With Its History Intact

Larger than life: Art that inspires us through the ages

Located 31 miles from Richmond, Va., the Greek Revival-style home called North Bend sits on 1,200 Copland family-owned acres where corn, wheat, soybeans, and more are grown and livestock raised. The home was remodeled to double its size in 1853, and the addition is based on the architectural handbooks of noted 19th-century builder-architect Asher Benjamin, whose work was Federal and Greek Revival in nature. Courtesy of Michael Johnson

If rooms and furnishings could talk, the home referred to as North Bend in Charles City, Virginia, would be in perpetual chatter mode. Throughout its history, many significant occurrences took place within the Greek Revival-style home, starting with its construction in 1801 by John Minge for his wife, Sarah Harrison, the sister of William Henry Harrison, who was the ninth president of the United States.

In an 1830 census, there were 80 slaves listed at North Bend, but David Minge, the son of John Minge Jr., inherited the property before the Civil War encroached on the area. Following his religious convictions, he freed the enslaved people across the state line into Maryland.