Erected in 1794, the sectioned, one-story plantation dwelling of Hobson’s Choice is a provincial interpretation of the five-part Palladian scheme popularized by designs illustrated in Robert Morris’s Select Architecture of 1755, an English pattern book that influenced various colonial and Federal-period Virginia houses. One of Brunswick County’s few 18th-century brick houses, Hobson’s Choice was originally the home of Dr. Richard Feild, an Edinburgh-educated physician well known for his expertise in botany and astronomy. Feild served as editor of the Petersburg Commercial Advertiser and the Intelligencer. He also was an elector of the electoral colleges that put Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the White House. Except for the addition of the 20th-century front porch the house survives without significant alteration. The interior of Hobson’s Choice is embellished with paneled mantels and wainscoting.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia