Enchanted Castle Germanna, Spotsylvania County, Virginia

Date: 1716 [unknown]
Location: Spotsylvania, Virginia
Surnames/tags: Spotswood Slavery Black_Heritage

Plantations Index

Virginia Plantations

History

Alexander Spotswood came to Germanna about 1720. He removed the walls from the old fort there and turned the fort into his home which he called Germanna.^[1] In 1732 when William Byrd visited Spotswood's home he called it the Enchanted Castle. The name stuck and after that it was called Enchanted Castle.^[2]

When Spotswood died in 1740 an inventory was taken of his properties. The enslaved were listed in that inventory:^[3]

• Cafar (Caspar?) £5
• Billy Molata (Mulatto?) £20
• Jillion £30
• Jack Mollata (Mulatto?)£25
• Doll £2.10
• Mary Ann £15
• Rose £30
• Eleanor £25
• Sharper £25
• Jenny £30
• Bella £30
• Queen £25
• Catina £25
• Lucy £20
• Moll £15
• Ellis £17
• Molly £20

Sources

1. ↑ THE OFFICIAL LETTERS OF Alexander Spotswood, LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF THE COLONY OF VIRGINIA, 1710–1722, Now First Printed from the Manuscript IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE Virginia Historical Society, WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY R. A. BROCK, Corresponding Secretary and Librarian of the Society. VOL. I. https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/gdc/lhbcb/05713/05713.pdf p.10
2. ↑ Historical Marker Database - Alexander Spotswood's Enchanted Castle https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=171395
3. ↑ Index to wills, 1734-1947 ; will books, 1735-1906: "Index to wills, 1734-1947 ; will books, 1735-1906"
   Catalog: Index to wills, 1734-1947 ; will books, 1735-1906 Will books, v. 1-2, 1735-1778
   Film number: 007645702 > image 112 of 474
   FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L9PX-X4P3 (accessed 30 August 2022)
   • 1740 inventory of enslaved of Alexander Spotswood