08/11/2026
This month's coloring page of historic homes includes one that is near and dear to many longtime residents of Virginia Beach that remember when it stood proud in our community. The original home was built in 1826 by John Singleton, who lost the home just two years later due to gambling debt. The next owner James Garrison was responsible for the expansion and later for subdividing the property. He sold a portion to Judge Lansing D. Wetmore, a law and timberman from Pennsylvania, who sold portions off for recently freed slaves in 1888. That community was named Beechwood by the seven families of sharecroppers who made it their first home as free Americans. In 2025, the property, part of the original Bayville Farm Plantation, received a historic marker at the corner of First Court and Pleasure House Roads.
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