Secondary sourcePhotograph

Scotchtown

Unknown photographer

Black-and-white photograph of Scotchtown, the Hanover County, Virginia house where Patrick Henry lived from 1771 to 1778.

Henry owned and lived at Scotchtown during his rise to revolutionary leadership and his first wife's illness and death.

Ask Patrick Henry about this source View the original

Black-and-white photograph of Scotchtown, a white clapboard two-story house with a dark metal gabled roof, brick chimney, and brick foundation, with a small porch and steps at the center front. Bare winter trees stand in the grassy yard in the foreground. — Scotchtown, Hanover County, Virginia. Photographer unknown.

About this source

What it is

This is a black-and-white photograph of Scotchtown, a two-story white clapboard house with a gabled roof and brick chimney, in Hanover County, Virginia. The photographer is unknown.

Why it matters

Scotchtown was Patrick Henry's home during a crucial period of his rise as a revolutionary leader, between 1771 and 1778. It was also the site of personal hardship: his first wife, Sarah, suffered from mental illness and died there. The house connects Henry's public political life with the private struggles of his family.

Look closer

What does the plain, modest style of the house suggest about rural Virginia life in this period?
Why might a historic house like this be photographed and preserved?
What is missing from a photograph of a building that a letter or diary might reveal about the people who lived there?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Patrick Henry on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Patrick Henry sources

Meet the AI Patrick Henry →

Black-and-white lithograph of a legislative chamber with Patrick Henry standing center, one arm raised, addressing seated and standing men in period dress. Other delegates raise their hands, and a man in a robe sits at left. A printed document labeled 'Proceedings of the Virginia Assembly' lies on the floor. Caption below reads 'Give me liberty, or give me death!'

Speech

Secondary source

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!

Patrick Henry · 23 March 1775 (text reconstructed 1817)

Document

Primary source

Virginia Stamp Act Resolves

Patrick Henry · 29 May 1765

Speech

Primary source

Speeches Against Ratification at the Virginia Ratifying Convention

Patrick Henry · June 1788

Letter

Primary source

Letter from Patrick Henry to Robert Pleasants on Slavery

Patrick Henry · 18 January 1773

Aged, yellowed parchment page with handwritten calligraphy in brown ink. The heading reads 'Congress of the United States' in large script, followed by the opening lines of the document below.

Document

Primary source

Bill of Rights

25 September 1789

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Patrick Henry now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for free Get a quote for institutions