Historic Williamsburg

40. Russell House

Williamsburg, VA

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The Russell House is located on Colonial Lot 52 on the north side of Duke of Gloucester Street. In 1720, the trustees of the City of Williamsburg granted the lot to Samuel Cobbs under the agreement that he would build a house on the site within 24 months. He sold most of the property to two merchants, John Harmer and Walter King, in 1735. John Harmer sold his portion of the estate to Walter King in 1746. The property came into the possession of local apothecary Dr. George Gilmer around 1755, and by 1774 William Russell owned all or part of the lot. The original building was one story tall and made of brick. Since the available information was scanty at best, Colonial Williamsburg did not attempt to recreate the original structure during the reconstruction process. Instead, they used elements of other historic homes to design a house that reflected the predominant architectural style in Williamsburg in the years before the Revolutionary War.