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Local historian recounts Ashland Farm and Oxford Plantation at Poquoson council meeting
Summary
Benjie Hahn presented an illustrated oral history of Ashland Farm and Oxford Plantation, tracing ownership, plantation infrastructure (tide mill, brick kiln, dikes), family records and surviving features of the property now called Ashland Farm.
Benjie Hahn, a Poquoson native and owner of a Century Farm, told the Poquoson City Council about the history of Ashland Farm and the adjoining Oxford Plantation during the council’s work session. Hahn said Henry Smith purchased 505 acres of Oxford Plantation in 1833 and described plantation features such as a tide mill built with General Assembly permission and a brick kiln used to produce masonry for manor buildings.
Hahn used archival maps and a 1937 aerial photograph to show how property boundaries and land use have changed. He described the site’s dikes and tide-management trunks, and pointed to a brick mausoleum on high ground where several family members are interred. Hahn also noted surviving artifacts and landscape features, including millstones and sections of dikes that remain in use.
City staff and Library Director Jessica Hartley assisted with slides and maps for the presentation. Council members thanked Hahn for the history and acknowledged the presentation was part of Poquoson’s 50th anniversary as an independent city. The presentation concluded with council praise and no formal action required.
