Meadow Farm dates all the way back to 1713 when a farmer named William Sheppard acquired this land in Henrico County.  In 1810 his great-grandson, Mosby Sheppard, built the house that still exists today.  The Sheppard family owned the two slaves, Tom and Pharaoh, who alerted Mosby of Gabriel’s rebellion in 1800 (the two slaves were later granted their freedom as a reward).  You can learn more about that in our Gabriel’s Rebellion video. During the Civil War, one of Mosby’s descendants, Dr. John Sheppard, lived on the farm with his wife and nine children.  Union troops passed through his property on the morning of May 11, 1864 on their way to the Battle of Yellow Tavern.  Dr. John Sheppard’s sister married John Cussons who built the nearby Forest Lodge.  You can learn more about that in our Forest Lodge video. The farm remained in the Sheppard family for many generations until they donated it to Henrico County in 1975.  Now it is a living history museum showing what life was like on a 1860s farm in Virginia.  You can see Meadow Farm during the Fall Festival on our very first Virginia Trekkers video. (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link).