Northern Neck Now

The Chinn House, in Richmond County’s Town of Warsaw, was home to lawyer and judge Joseph William Chinn and his family. Completed in 1908, the large two-story dwelling is an excellent example of the popular hipped-roof variation of the Colonial Revival style, marked by handsome entry porches and bay windows. Situated within walking distance of the Richmond County Courthouse, the property was expanded by Chinn to encompass over 140 acres of land. Designed with spacious rooms on both floors, nearly every room is equipped with Colonial Revival-inspired mantels and detailed decorative elements. Chinn, born in 1866 in Tappahannock, served as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Richmond County, a circuit judge, and eventually was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeals (now the Supreme Court of Virginia). Chinn died in 1936, and in 1969 the family donated the house, to the Virginia Community College System. Rappahannock Community College now uses the residence for administrative offices.

Chinn House