Bacon's Castle

Bacon’s Castle is the oldest brick dwelling in North America and was built for Arthur Allen and his family in 1665. Originally known as Allen’s Brick House, it earned the moniker “Bacon’s Castle” in 1676 when several of Nathaniel Bacon’s men occupied the home for four months during the uprising that became known as Bacon’s Rebellion.

Bacon’s Castle is a rare example of High Jacobean architecture. The home features a reconstructed 17th-century English formal garden restored by the Garden Club of Virginia. Several outbuildings also survive, including an 1830 slave dwelling, 1820s smokehouse and a barn dating back to 1700.

The site covers four centuries of unique history in Virginia, including experiences of enslaved and free Africans and African Americans who lived, labored and sought freedom at the site. Preservation Virginia acquired Bacon’s Castle in the 1970’s at auction and meticulously researched, restored and furnished the house in the 1980’s.