Ongoing
The Wickham House
Explore the Wickham House, a neoclassical-inspired home steps away from the Virginia State Capitol, built between 1812-1815 for Richmond attorney John Wickham and his wife Elizabeth. New England architect Alexander Parris designed the Wickhams’ home to accommodate their large family and the enslaved individuals who lived and labored there. This historic home allows us to tell the complex story of the Wickham family and the home’s enslaved occupants, revealing the realities of urban slavery and life in early 1800s Richmond.
The Wickham House was later purchased by Mann S. Valentine II, and in 1898 became the first home of the Valentine Museum.
Today, guided, dialogue-based tours focus on the period of Wickham ownership during the early Federal period and include stories of the free and enslaved inhabitants of the home as well as the Wickham family. Tours are available on the hour from 11-4 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday, typically last 45-minutes and are included in museum admission.
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Discover the rich history of the Wickham House, including its architectural design, the surrounding neighborhood, the Wickham family, and the lives of the enslaved individuals who lived and worked here in the early 1800s.