Benjamin Powell House
Architectural historians believe the brick portion of this house was built during the 1740’s, when Benjamin Waller owned the property. The front frame portion of the house was probably added around 1763 when a prominent Williamsburg carpenter and builder, Benjamin Powell was hired to carry out repairs on the Public Gaol and the Capitol buildings. He built the steeple for Bruton Parish Church and constructed Williamsburg’s Public Hospital in the early 1770s. During the revolution, he furnished tents and carried out work on the soldiers’ barracks. In 1953, Colonial Williamsburg architects began restoring this two-century-old home. The exterior was returned to what it was when Benjamin Powell last owned the house in 1782.
