Lynnhaven House (Boundary Decrease)

This brick house in Virginia Beach dates to the latter half of the seventeenth century. Its steep gable roof, massive T-shaped chimneys with tiled splays, English bond brickwork, glazed headers on the gable ends and segmental arched entranceways give it a strongly seventeenth-century character. Flat arches over the windows point to the later part of that century. Inside, a Jacobean staircase with turned balusters and a square newel post survives, along with two large mantels, one with bolection moldings. Later changes include a brick rear ell, altered dormers and the removal of some interior trim. The land was sold by Adam Thorowgood to William Richerson in 1653, and Richerson sold it to James Wishart in 1673. The records do not settle whether Richerson or Wishart built the house. The Wishart family held it until 1795, when it was sold to William Boush, whose family inherited it for several generations. It is considered one of the oldest brick houses in the United States.