The Chuckatuck Historic District‘s most conspicuous landmark, the Godwin-Knight House was the childhood home of Mills E. Godwin, Jr., who served as governor of Virginia for two terms, 1966-1970 and 1974-1978. The Suffolk house displays architectural features from two distinct eras. Edward F. Wicks built what was a traditional side-passage house in 1856 on land he bought from Jennette Godwin. The house was remodeled in the Queen Anne style in 1900 by Charles B. Godwin, great-uncle of the governor. The most striking features of the change are the corner tower and the elaborate wrap-around front porch. Other additions include a tile vestibule and plaster embellishments in the parlor. Despite the exterior alterations, the original antebellum design of the Godwin-Knight House is discernible and can be compared to a nearby Federal-period house that was a near twin to the earlier form.
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