The Geddy House, also known as the James Geddy House, is a historic two-story, central-passage house located on the Palace Green in Williamsburg, Virginia, across from Bruton Parish Church. Built circa 1762 by James Geddy Jr., it is one of the oldest houses in Virginia and in Williamsburg.
History
James Geddy Jr. was a well-established silversmith in Williamsburg. Advertisements from the late 1760s indicate that his business sold imported silver and gold items, fine jewelry, and cutlery. In 1762, Geddy built the house at the corner of Duke of Gloucester Street and Palace Green. The structure served as both the family home and housed the various business ventures of the Geddy family, utilizing a rear entrance as a retail shop.
The Geddy family moved to Virginia from Scotland in the early eighteenth century. James Geddy Sr. was a gunsmith who also worked with iron and brass. After James Sr.'s death, his son James Geddy Jr. purchased the lot from his mother and built the home. James Jr. and his wife Elizabeth had five children: Mary, Anne (known as Nancy), William Waddill, James, and Elizabeth.
During restorations of Colonial Williamsburg in 1930 and 1967, the entrance porch was replaced and the house's chimneys were rebuilt above the roof ridge. The house retains much of its original woodwork. Further preservation activities were undertaken in 2002.
Features
Many aspects of the house's design are uncommon among other sites in Williamsburg. The house features a low-pitched roof and lacks dormers, which are unusual characteristics, as are the door and balcony above the front porch. The L-shape of the building may have been adapted to fit the location. The architectural details incorporate English architecture and Italian variations of Greek and Roman styles.
Archaeological excavations of the shop site of the house have provided information about eighteenth-century clockmaking in British America.
Current Status
The Geddy House is owned by Colonial Williamsburg and operates as a museum. It is open to visitors as part of the Colonial Williamsburg historic area.
