About East Tuckahoe and Woodside:
In 1669, William Randolph settled in the Henrico / Richmond area of Virginia. He and his wife, Mary, had many children. As the wealthiest family in colonial Virginia, the Randolphs owned 10,000 acres. Many Randolph family members were important political figures in Virginia's history.
Part of the Randolph family's land included the Tuckahoe plantation. In 1800, the Randolphs sold 629 acres of Tuckahoe land to Virginia attorney, John Wickham, pictured right; he called his western Henrico County farm tract "Woodside". Later, Wickham purchased an additional property in the area, and changed his plantation's name from Woodside to East Tuckahoe. John Wickham may be best known as the builder of Richmond's Wickham-Valentine House, now known as the Valentine Museum.
In 1858, John Wickham's son, Littleton Waller Tazewell Wickham, built a Greek Revival villa here in 1858 as a rural retreat and called it Woodside. The home remains unchanged since it was first built. It is unusual for its general shape, form and size of a structures and the grand detailing both inside and outside. The home and land are named for the surrounding woodside.
Once a part of the Tuckahoe District in Henrico County, Woodside is now a private residence in Goochland County.
The first image above is Woodside in 1972. The two images below show Woodside in 1996 and 2023. All images courtesy of Department of Historic Resources, Government of Virginia
Woodside's Connection to America's First Great Racehorse - Boston!
John Wickham had great knowledge and a keen appreciation for fine race horses. A number of thoroughbreds were foaled at Wickham's East Tuckahoe plantation.
Among the thoroughbreds foaled on Wickham's plantation was Boston, a chestnut stallion with a white blaze on his nose born in 1833. Boston was an outstanding Thoroughbred racehorse who started in about 45 races, winning 40, including 15 in succession. Boston was later one of the initial inductees into the Hall of Fame. He spent the remainder of his life standing, as the racing world referred to stud services, in Hanover, Petersburg, Washington D.C. and Kentucky. He sired 95 winners of 293 races, including 26 at 4-mile heats and 61 at 3-mile heats. Boston died on 31 January 1850.
We were notified by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in September of 2023 a State historical highway marker was proposed (and later approved) in recognition of Boston. The marker is sponsored by Becky Francois, whose friend was a descendant of William Ransom Johnson (aka Napoleon of the Turf) of Chesterfield County who was a trainer of Boston.
On July 13, 2024, an inaugural Stakes Race was held in honor of Boston at Colonial Downs. The winner of "The Boston" Stakes Race, Fulmineo, is owned by Josh and Ellen Pons. Josh is an award-winning author of three books and articles on thoroughbred horses.
Our quarterly meeting in December, 2024 was held at Historic Tuckahoe, Thomas Jefferson's boyhood home. Josh Pons spoke about his book Letters From Country Life, Adolphe Pons, Man o'War, and the Founding of Maryland's Oldest Thoroughbred Farm. Josh and Ellen have much more association with thoroughbreds than we have space here to note. Following Josh's presentation, a dedication ceremony was held for the historical marker honoring Boston.
For more information about Boston and the historical marker, please visit:
Lost Architecture Sites: Woodside
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