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.

In 1864, 30,000 Union troops commanded by Gen. Philip Sheridan and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant flowed into the area, and dug trenches through North Bend to the nearby James River. And one of the most noteworthy items in the home is the desk that Sheridan used when temporarily billeted at the home.

Octogenarian Ridgely (“everyone calls me Nannie”) Copland is North Bend’s current owner. Her husband, George Forbes Copland (now deceased), was not only a direct descendant of Sarah Harrison, but was also the great, great, grandson of Edmund Ruffin, who fired the first shot in the Civil War against the federally held Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, near Charleston, South Carolina.

“Nannie” not only lives at North Bend, but enjoys leading tours, pointing out artifacts, and sharing countless historical stories with friends and guests she allows to visit or stay there.

“History is extremely important,” Copland said. “We learn from it, and I like to share as much as possible.”

The grand upstairs and downstairs hallways of North Bend are large enough to exhibit miscellaneous multigenerational family heirlooms, photographs, and furnishings, including packed bookcases with rare and first-edition books. (Courtesy of Michael Johnson)

The family room features family heirlooms, original antiques and paintings, old dolls, rare books, distinct china and silver pieces, and preserved historic correspondence. Each chair in this eclectically decorated space conveys a distinct decorating style, from Mission to Victorian to Empire. (Courtesy of Michael Johnson)

The home’s dining room, which opens to a music and game room, is furnished with an antique dining table and a mix of dining chairs, including a few ornately carved ones that have survived more than a century of use. A brass-and-glass light fixture hangs overhead, while a traditional corner armoire houses antique family porcelain. (Courtesy of Michael Johnson)

The plantation desk used by Gen. Philip Sheridan has remained in the same spot, with a view out a top-floor, front-facing window, since he sat at the desk in 1864. A plantation-style desk is a type originally designed for postmasters to organize correspondence. (Courtesy of Michael Johnson)

The grand Federal period, heavily carved, four-poster bed sports a ruffled insert. Historically, privacy curtains were sometimes tucked into the ruffle and let down if the person using the bed so desired. This room includes a mirrored armoire and a needlepoint-covered chair. (Courtesy of Michael Johnson)

An iron and brass bed and a silk damask settee define the Federal Room, which is appropriately painted yellow since it flows out to an upstairs sun porch with expansive vistas of fields, livestock, and wildlife. This room, like the others at North Bend, is replete with 19th-century antiques. (Courtesy of Michael Johnson)

On the exterior of the homesite are the preserved smokehouse and icehouse, both built around 1819. The smokehouse is equipped with its original hand-hewn salt box for salting meats, and the icehouse is considered noteworthy for its multi-hued brickwork, also noticeable on the well. (Courtesy of Michael Johnson)