About the James Bowie House
The James Bowie is one of the town’s oldest surviving structure, dating to 1744. Considered one of the most complete structures in Port Royal, it is an outstanding example of mid-1700’s era architecture. As you view the structure, you’ll notice the sharp slant to the roof. This was common on houses from its time, and is one of the ways in which the house tells how old it is. Houses built after the mid-1700s don’t have the sharp slant to the roof that is shown here.
History
First owned in 1783 by Richard Dixon, the house is in similar style to the older part of the Rectory. The frame house, one-and-a-half stories with a full basement, contains beaded weatherboarding, with two brick exterior end chimneys, an outside balcony, and ancient wooden beams in the cellar. The foundation boulders were thought to have been brought by barge from Aquia Harbor. Many years ago the interior of the house was altered from its early colonial features. The house takes its name from owners James and Sarah Bowie in 1783.
–History Section Excerpt from “Hidden Village: Port Royal, Virginia 1744-1981” by Ralph Emmett Fall