Historic Hicks Wharf
Today, Hicks Wharf looks quiet. But more than a century ago, it bustled with activity. The steamboat docked once a day to take on passengers and deliver the mail. Women wore long cotton gowns and often a hat. The men wore suits and hats. People used the steamboat to go shopping or to do business in the same way that we use roads and highways today. They traveled to local destinations and also to the big cities of Norfolk, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. Â
In those horse-and-buggy days, before the automobile, the East River functioned like a present-day super highway. Hicks Wharf had a mercantile store and the Hicks Wharf Post Office. Everyone used the water. Most people who lived along the river owned a boat and could swim. Â
Schooners also docked at the wharf. They transported supplies, livestock, and agricultural products to big cities. The schooners also brought coal to heat homes.Â
The “Big Storm of 1933” destroyed the post office. A couple of years later, the steamboat, Munnatawket, caught fire while docked at Hicks Wharf. Fortunately, a local man and his friends managed to cast off the lines, thereby saving land-based property from the ensuing explosion. The burnt-out wreck of the Munnatawket lies underwater in the cove adjacent to the property.
the davis house
Home of the Hicks Wharf Postmaster
The steamboat brought the mail to Hicks Wharf Post Office, situated inside the store on the wharf. Unlike our present-day delivery system to private homes and businesses, postal patrons came to General Delivery post offices to drop off or pick up their mail.Â
Jonathan “John” G. Davis and his wife Elizabeth, nee Hicks, built their house next to Hicks Wharf, named for her father who lived across the road. Not surprisingly, John and Elizabeth Davis’ house became known as the Davis House. As it turned out, John, succeeded by his son William, became postmasters at Hicks Wharf Post Office, a respected position in this farming and fishing community. ,
Therefore, the people who lived in the area walked or rode their horses and buggies to Hicks Wharf, not only for transportation on the steamboat, but also to get their mail and buy supplies. They would have come on the road right in front of the Davis House making the spot an interesting place teeming with people, horses, and buggies.Â
in three parts
A House with a History
The Davis house has an interesting history. It was built in three parts. The two-story front part of the house started across the road, built by Elizabeth Davis’ father, William E Hicks. He had the two-story house moved to its present location as a wedding present for John and Elizabeth (nee Hicks) Davis in 1873. This original house continues as the front part of the present house.
At first, only the two-story front part of the house and the one-story kitchen existed on the property. Evidently homes used to be built this way, because cooking fires often caused kitchens to burn down. Local lore has it that a covered walkway joined the living quarters to the separate one-story kitchen. Should a fire begin in the kitchen, only the kitchen burned down, not the main part of the house.
Interestingly, the middle part of the house was built last. It is constructed with material from the Jamestown Exhibition of 1907. This exhibition commemorated the 300th anniversary of a permanent English settlement at nearby Jamestown in 1607.
Until the present owners bought the Davis House in 2002, Davis-Hicks descendants have owned it from its beginnings.Â
An aerial of the house shows it’s “T” footprint.Â
An Interesting Tidbit about the House
Why does the front of the house face south? Like the Great Pyramid of Giza, the house sits in alignment with the cardinal directions. Although no one knows why the Great Pyramid has that orientation, the Davis House likely faces south because it predates the use of electricity in homes. By facing south, the sun provides illumination for the front section of the house. Furthermore, the house has a “T” footprint. That means that the stem of the “T,” which is only one room wide, receives light from the morning sun on the water side of the house and the afternoon sun on the land side. To let in as much natural light as possible, each room has many windows. Almost all the rooms also have a view of the water.Â
VINTAGE
The Davis House contains many charming vintage features. To name only a few, take a look at the photos below. They are:Â
- Mortise and Tenon Joints in the Attic (notice Square Nail)
- Vintage Wall Sconce
- Original Door Handles (to Harry Potter Room #1)
- Original Wavy Glass
You can almost hear the delightful rustle of long skirts in the kitchen as you imagine meals prepared by hand with ingredients from the kitchen garden, the river, and the woods.
you can renovate
Built in 1873, the Davis House is a historical treasure. Fortunately, because it is not on any historical register, it can be renovated in any way you’d like. For example, the kitchen has a center island, plus, you’ll find ceiling fans in many of the rooms.Â
This kitchen also boasts genuine, vintage farmhouse cupboards. They’re the real thing – the originals! They have glass doors on the top half and a built-in broom closet to the left of the cupboards.Â
$649,900
Details
With this vacation farmhouse you get everything you ever needed to have from a home and a vacation all at the same time. Bedrooms, a home office, privacy, and deep water waterfront. The best bonus is that you don’t have to spend so much time commuting, because this vintage home also has excellent cable Internet.Â
Additional details
- Bedrooms: 3
- Baths: 2: 1 Full, 1 Half
- Large Home Office or First Floor Bedroom
- Number of Rooms: 10
- Bonus Rooms Upstairs: 2
- High Speed Cable Internet
- Parking: 3 spaces, gravel drive
- Flooring: Heart Pine, Vinyl KIT & BAs
- Walls: Lathe-board Plaster, wood paneling
- Exterior: Wood Siding
- Roof: Gable: Metal
- Taxes 2020: $2,038
- Letter of Certification: Termite Free
- Deep Water River Frontage: 130 Feet
Features
- Waterfront
- Acreage
- 2 Stories
- Screened Porch
- Park-like Setting
- Scenic Lanes
- Garden
- Bird Song
- Deep Water
- Cable Internet
- Home Office
- Fresh Air
Location
Located on the East River with gorgeous views of the river, you can venture into the water for adventure, or drive to nearby Mathews or Gloucester for shopping. In addition, Yorktown is only an hour away; Williamsburg or Richmond: one and a half hours; Virginia Beach: two hours; and Washington, DC: three hours to drive.
Facts and Features
Features
- TYPE: Single Family Residential
- LOT SIZE: 5.02 Acres
- HEAT: Electric Baseboard, Wood Stove
- COOLING: Individual Window Units
- YEAR BUILT: 1873
INTERIOR DETAILS
- BEDROOMS: 3 or 4
- BATHS: 2: 1 Full, 1 Half
- HOME OFFICE or 1st Floor Bedroom
- BONUS ROOMS: 2
- TOTAL ROOMS: 10
APPLIANCES INCLUDED
- STOVE: 1 Electric, 1 Gas
- REFRIGERATORS: 2
- FREEZER: Chest
- LAUNDRY: Washer, Dryer Vent
- WATER HEATER: Electric
INTERIOR FEATURES
- SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,565
- CEILING FANS: KIT, DR, LR, OFC, BD
- FLOORING: Heart Pine, Vinyl
- WALLS: Lathe Board Plaster, Wood Panel
- ATTICS: 2: Second & Third Story
room dimensions
First Floor
- SCREENED PORCH: 9.5 x 30 Feet
- ENTRANCEWAY: 7.5 x 22.5 Feet
- LIVING ROOM: 13.5 x 17.5 Feet
- OFFICE (or Ground Floor Bedroom with Ensuite Jack and Jill Half Bath): 13.5 X 17.5 Feet
- DOWNSTAIRS BATH: 5.5 x 7 Feet
- DINING ROOM: 15.5 x 18 Feet
- KEEPING ROOM (or Pantry): 9.5 x 15.5 Feet
- KITCHEN: 15 x 17 Feet
- UTILITY ROOM Off Kitchen: 4.75 x 11.25 Feet
- Ceiling Height First Floor: 8 Feet
Second Floor
- STAIRCASE from First to Second Floor: 3 Feet Wide
- UPSTAIRS LANDING: 9.5 x 10.5 Feet
- MASTER BEDROOM with Ensuite Jack and Jill Bath: 13.25 x 17.5 Feet
- FIRST GUEST BEDROOM: 9 x 17.5 Feet
- UPSTAIRS OFFICE or Small Sitting Room: 9.5 x 15 Feet
- SECOND GUEST BEDROOM: 13.5 x 15.5 Feet
- BONUS ROOM: HOME GYM, CRAFT or BABY ROOM: 9.5 x 15.5 Feet
- UPSTAIRS BATH: 5.5 x 8.5 Feet
- SECOND FLOOR ATTIC (over Kitchen): 15 x 17 Feet (Slanted Ceiling)
- Ceiling Height Second Floor: 7 Feet
Third Floor Attic
- STAIRCASE to Third Floor Attic: 2 Feet Wide
- THIRD FLOOR ATTIC: 17.5 x 34.5 Feet (Slanted Ceiling)
Detatched Building
- GREENHOUSE: 9 x 12 Feet
Property Features
EXTERIOR DETAILS
- Waterfront: 130-feet Riverfront
- Water Depth: 6-Ft MLW, 14-Ft Channel
- Water View
- Architectural Style: Colonial Farmhouse
- Road Frontage: 1,443 Feet
UTILITIES
- Water: Well, Pump in Utilities Room
- Sewer: Septic Tank with Drain Field
- Electricity: Circuit Breakers
- Internet: Breezeline Cable
- Basement: Crawl Space
ZONING
- Water Half: Residential 1
- Land Half: Rural Agricultural
- Land Half: Can keep small livestock
- Land Half: Doesn't quality for horses
- Plenty of Space for a Garden
EXTERIOR FEATURES
- Pier: 185-Feet Long
- Driveway: Gravel
- Parking: 2 - 3 Spaces
- Exterior of House: Wood Siding
- Greenhouse: 9 x 12
Pretty as a Picture
Snow seldom falls in southeastern Virginia and winters tend to be mild. However, when the snow does come, it can make the farmhouse as pretty as a Holiday Card. Also, note that, even with this relatively heavy snow, the river water remains ice free.
As well as different views of the house topped by snow, this video shows images of the Vacation Farmhouse through the seasons.
Fine Families of Virginia
info & contact
$649,900
3-4 Bed, 2 Bath, 2,656 sqft., 5.02 acre lot, circa 1873, waterfront, deep water
Address
673 Hicks Wharf Road, Cardinal, VA 23025
Contact Phone
Karin Andrews, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (804)445-5500
Contact Email
Karin.Andrews@bhhstowne.com