John Craig House

Front: This house, the oldest in Chesterfield, was built ca. 1798 for John Craig (1755-1839), veteran of the American Revolution, merchant and miller, and county official. Craig’s father Hugh moved his family from Ireland to Virginia in 1760; John and his older brother Alexander came to S.C. soon after the war and helped organize Chesterfield District, later Chesterfield County. Craig was also Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and Commissioner of Locations. Reverse: Craig, his wife Sarah Chapman (1778-1852), and their eleven children lived in this 14-room house, which often entertained travelers and distinguished guests. Craig ran a general store, tannery, and shoe shop in Chesterfield, and Craig’s Mill on Thompson’s Creek. His son William E. lived here on March 2, 1865, when Federal Gen. W.T. Sherman used the house as his overnight headquarters in Chesterfield.