Located about seven miles southwest of Charles City, Va., the Westover plantation house was part of a 1,200 acre estate on the James River. Structurally it is an example of Georgian architecture, a two story symmetrical brick building with two attached wings. The house was built by William Byrd II, passing after his death in 1744 to his widow, then his son William Byrd III, who moved into the house in the 1750s. After his death Westover passed to his widow Mary Willing Byrd.