The Construction of Nottoway
The house was built with newest technology of the era. Designed in 1849, Henry Howard took eight years to plan and two years to build this fancy mansion. Forty carpenters, brick masons, and plumbers were haired to work on the house and lived in tents at the construction site. Along with $40 a month, they received three meals a day and laundry service. John Randolph contracted Timothy Joyce in 1858 to provide other carpentry work for the house for $3,800. Newton Richards was hired to furnish the huge granite staircases in front of the home.
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The frieze work around the second and third floors. Jeremiah Supple was paid $1,901 for crafting all the work. He used a mixture of mud, clay, horsehair, spanish moss, and water. The dining room is fashioned with camellias Emily's favorite flower. The house was finished with 4,200 yards of plastering, over 1,500 feet of cornicing, and 140 feet of scroll ornaments in the parlor.
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In 1859, at about $80,000, Nottoway was completed. The mansion was built with 64 rooms in its three floors, six interior staircases, and three modern bathrooms. The house also had an opening for each day of the year with its 165 doors and 200 windows. It features 15-foot high ceilings with 11-foot high doors.