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Israel Nuckols
Jacob Woodson Nuckols

Dee Dee Sullivan and her western Henrico County neighbors thought county officials would
laugh at them. In fact, when they first suggested asking the county to buy the historic property across from their homes and transform it into a park, they tossed it out there as a joke. "We totally did not expect this to work out the way it did," Sullivan said. "They like to build out here."To Sullivan's surprise, the Henrico Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to spend  $388,0000 to purchase about 3 acres at 3501 Gayton Hills Lane. Located in the Three Chopt District, the home on the site, called the Nuckols house, is believed to be one of the oldest buildings still standing in the county. Israel Nuckols bought the property in 1849, and six generations of the Nuckols family lived there. Fearing that a developer who had purchased the property would get approval to build town homes or singlefamily residential houses there and that the historical value of the home would be lost, Sullivan and others in the Graham Meadows and Gayton Station communities got involved. It took nearly a year, but this week Sullivan and her neighbors celebrated. The property is assessed at $316,300. It was last purchased by Gayton Hills LLC on April 27, 2004 for $250,000. Board members said the people who worked to save the site will have a say in how the park is developed. Many believe it should remain passive, with possibly a few picnic tables and have the house be the focus of  the park by possibly transforming it into a museum. Supervisor David Kaechele, who represents the Three Chopt District, praised the neighborhood and the developer, Skip Gelletly, who planned to build on the site, for his cooperation. "This will be a great credit to the county in the future," Kaechele said.

19 members of 3 generations lived at the Farmhouse, then called Locust Grove, at the time this photo was taken in 1906. Sitting in the center of the second row is Jake Nuckols. Sitting next to him to the right is his 2nd wife, Alice Clark Nuckols  

Current photos of home and land and barn