William Henry Harrison's Home

Ninth president William Henry "Tippecanoe" Harrison was born at Berkeley Plantation House in Charles City, Virginia on February 9, 1773. The estate was also the birthplace of his father, Benjamin Harrison V, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Berkeley House Plantation is also the birthplace of several historic "firsts." The first Bourbon Whiskey was distilled at the plantation from 1621 to 1622, and the first Thanksgiving was celebrated here, two years before the Pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving at Plymouth Colony. As if that weren't enough, the song "Taps" was composed here by two Civil War soldiers encamped on the grounds. To see our page on Berkeley Plantation House, click here.