Endview Plantation
Also known as: Harwood Plantation; #121-0002
Why it's listed
Endview Plantation is a two-story, five-bay Georgian frame house in Newport News, completed around 1769 for or by William Harwood. It rests on a raised brick basement laid in English bond and has two end chimneys laid in Flemish bond. Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis, Jr. acquired the property in 1858, dug out the basement for a dining room and renamed it Endview. During the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, Confederate generals Lafayette McLaws and Robert Toombs headquartered here, and Union regiments later camped on the grounds. A carved inscription on an upstairs mantel recalls the wartime occupation. The Curtis family regained the property in 1865 and descendants kept it until 1985. The city bought it in 1995, and it opened as a museum in 2000. The site also includes two cemeteries, two road traces, a relocated dairy, a reproduction smokehouse and reconstructed earthworks. It is recognized for its rare colonial architecture and its Civil War role.
Significance in brief: It is one of the last surviving colonial buildings in Newport News, which supports its architectural significance. It also served as headquarters for Confederate generals Lafayette McLaws and Robert Toombs during the early 1862 Peninsula Campaign, supporting its military significance.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000391, listed May 8, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 362 Yorktown Rd., Newport News (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Newport News |
| Listed | May 8, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000391 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1769-1919 |
| Architect / builder | Harwood, William |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Military |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Acquired by the City of Newport News in 1995, rehabilitated over two years, and opened as a historic house museum in 2000. |
| Acreage | 24.7 |
| Coordinates | 37.21122, -76.56824 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000391.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q49487115
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.