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“Cuckoo”, Louisa County, Virginia

A tidbit on a fifth-great grandfather, Henry Pendleton. (Clayton Torrence, Winston of Virginia and Allied Families (Richmond, Virginia: Whittet & Shepperson, 1927), p. 203-205)

Henry Pendleton (son of John and Sarah Madison Pendleton), born December 4, 1762. During early manhood he settled in Louisa County and there married…Alcey Ann Winston…daughter of John and Alice Bickerton Winston, of Hanover County. …

He was a member of the Hanover County Militia during the latter part of the Revolutionary War, for his name is signed to a petition dated May 24, 1782, of officers and privates against a draft law for raising recruits for Continental Army.

… Henry Pendleton’s first place of residence in Louisa County was on Southanna River near North East Creek. In 1818 and 1819 he sold this property and moved to “Cuckoo” (near the centre of the county), which he had purchased from the estate of William [Overton] Callis, deceased. At “Cuckoo” he built the old mansion house (which is still standing and is occupied by his descendants).

"Cuckoo" historical marker

"Cuckoo" historical marker

I have a photo of the house from about 100 years ago – I’ll try to make a point of uploading it soon.

"Cuckoo", modern day

"Cuckoo", modern day

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 7:14 pm and is filed under Pendleton, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Kelly

    I’d like to see an updated picture, as I understand the Mineral earthquake was not kind to this home. Also note the Department Of Historic Resources has issued a post-earthquake advisory that you would be well served to confirm details:
    http://www.dhr.virginia.gov DHR Richmond Headquarters2801 Kensington Ave., Richmond 23221804 367-2323

  • Scott

    I have attached a picture of the house as it is now.  My mom lives in another historic home in the area which also suffered damage.  This one was damaged so heavily because of its nearly all brick construction.  My moms house, a few years older, is frame so it gave a little.   The Pendleton House lost all 4 chimneys and the top level sunk in on itself about 4 inches or so.  The outter walls buckled  at the second level a bit and a lot of plaster inside is damaged.  We are all very sad to see this house in the state it is currently.  The current owners will do all they can to restore the house, and both homes are national landmarks so we hope both this house and my mother will get additional assistance in the event insurance doesnt cover it. 

  • Anonymous

    Scott, thank you for posting the post-earthquake photos.  It’s heartbreaking to see the damage, and I hope it’s safely repairable.

  • Hackney

    Thanks for posting these pictures.  My husband’s grandmother was a Pendleton and grew up in Cuckoo house until she was 8 and sent to live with relatives. Is there anyway we can contact the current owners?? They are  2nd or 3rd cousins. Occasionally through the years we have donated to restoration of the cemetary and I wonder if we can help in any way…We all wondered how the house fared during the quake.

  • Dsites1221

    I’m a masonry restoration specialist and stopped by this home because I’m working on a few of the many chimneys that were damaged from the earthquake in Louisa. I was saddened to see the condition of this historical estate. As of last weekend the holes were still uncovered and it’s been raining here for days. The homeowner has a contractor and I hope they have quality masons to restore this beautiful structure. 

  • Anonymous

    I saw this home recently and the second story left side is pushed in, including a window.  I had read that its chimneys collapsed but more evident is the left side, a major area of damage.  I don’t know if it was the earthquake or hurricane Irene or both.  The quake was in August, yet this damage is still untouched.  There isn’t even a tarp covering it so I imagine there’s exposure to the elements…and there’s been lots of rain this fall.  The address of this home is 6276 Jefferson Highway, Mineral, VA  23117  I don’t know the owners or their names.  I’m sure if you mailed a letter to that address you’d reach the owners.

  • Anonymous

    Just saw the pics below by Scott, which says it all.

  • Scottie Sibley

    A you may know, most home owners in this area did not have earthquake insurance. Meaning work has to be paid for out of pocket. Most home owners had never even heard of earthquake insurance, especially as they “don’t happen” around here. FEMA denied the county assistance so it’s going to be an even harder battle for most residents. Mineral did recently win a free concert by Alan Jackson, so we will hope some of the revenue created during the festivities wil help sway the cost.

  • Echughes47

    Cuckoo is owned by Pendleton decendants. Dr. Jane Pendleton a 23226.
    from a family friend

  • jim mccracken

    The Mansion is at the present time being repaired. The damage was to the Chimneys of the building. I am not sure of interior damage but I figure some did happen.

  • Peggy Pendleton Fitch

    Paul and I visited the mansion before major damage was done by the storm. It was still lovely at that time.