Friends of Meadow Farm

In 1713 William Sheppard acquired the property of Meadow Farm by land grant. Not much is known about the use of the property until William’s great-grandson, Mosby Sheppard, built the existing house in 1810. Later the property was acquired by Dr. John Mosby Sheppard. Seven generations of the Sheppard family lived at Meadow Farm. The history of the property has been well documented. From this site, Tom and Pharoah, Sheppard family slaves, warned Mosby Sheppard of a proposed slave rebellion on August 30, 1800, later known as Gabriel's Rebellion. During a Civil War raid, family legend has it that the Union Major General George Armstrong Custis tied his horse to a cedar tree in front of the farmhouse. In addition, American Indian sites, that predate the Sheppard family ownership, have been identified on the property. In 1974 Meadow Farm was listed on the Virginia Landmark Registry and the National Register of Historic Places. In 1975, Elizabeth Adam Crump, wife of the late Adjutant General of Virginia, Sheppard Crump, donated the property of Meadow Farm to the County of Henrico and it was opened to the public as Meadow Farm Museum/ Crump Park in 1981. Although restoration had been completed in the late 1970s to preserve and interpret Meadow Farm, damage from Hurricane Isabel in 2003 presented the County an opportunity to re-examine documents pertaining to the original house construction. Mosby Sheppard and his son John Sheppard built Meadow Farm in phases. Both men carefully documented the purchase of building materials and labor for work done between 1809 and 1858. During the restoration process, museum staff interpreted in detail the material, labor, and expense involved in constructing a home in 19th-century rural Virginia. Meadow Farm is now interpreted as a living history farm and museum, presenting programs and exhibits on the culture of the rural South in the 1800’s. Costumed interpreters provide insight into the lives of Dr. John Mosby Sheppard and his family. On selected weekends, there are demonstrations of seasonal activities in the farmhouse, barn, doctor’s office, blacksmith forge, fields, and pastures.

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