Picture Thomas Jefferson renting a home here, the state slow to pay. Designed by Alexander Parris, this house is the oldest occupied governor’s mansion in the United States and has been the home of Virginia governors and their families since 1813. It carries both Virginia and National Historic Landmark status, and you can still sense the layers of history after a number of renovations and expansions during the 20th century.
When Richmond became the capital in 1779, there was no official residence; Thomas Jefferson rented one, and the state, so poor it could not pay the rent in time, blamed Jefferson for the problem. The state finally paid and built a residence on the very site where you stand now. During the Civil War the nearby Virginia State Capitol housed offices of the Confederacy, and just north of Capitol Square the Court End neighborhood holds the White House of the Confederacy.
Tours of the mansion are offered several days a week, so you can step inside what has been a living home since 1813. This square spreads before you: the mansion, the Capitol, and the neighboring Court End.