Notes
This drop-leaf table is said to have belonged to Patrick Henry. The table has a leg on each corner and a swing gate with a leg on either side. The tapered legs, which are square in cross-section, end in squared pad feet. The skirt on either end has double cyma shaping. The gates, which are made of riven oak, have a rounded barrel joint.
Little evidence points to this table's use at Red Hill, but it is believed to have been made by a local carpenter either at Red Hill or at Henry's Long Island plantation. After Henry's death, the table was inherited by his son, Patrick Henry Jr. (1783–1804), along with Long Island plantation. It was then passed to Henry Jr.'s daughter, Elvira Ann Patrick Henry (1804–1870); then to Elvira's daughter Ann "Nannie" Carrington Clark Bruce (1831–1900).
In a letter dated June 10, 1887, D. A. Claiborne, brother-in-law of Ann Bruce, attested to the authenticity of the table. William Wirt Henry (1831–1900), Patrick Henry's grandson, supported Ann Bruce's claim that the table was owned by his grandfather in an addendum to Bruce's letter on June 17, 1887.
The table was purchased by Mann Satterwhite Valentine II (1824–1892) for $25 on June 22, 1892, from Ann Bruce, who sold it through auctioneer George W. Mayo. The table is listed as "1 Patrick Henry table" on the auction receipt. Mann S. Valentine II would go on to establish the Valentine Museum in Richmond in 1898. The table's provenance was again certified by Ann Bruce after this auction in a letter dated June 27, 1892.
At an unknown date, the table was transferred to the Valentine Museum by Henry Lee Valentine (1867–1931), son of Mann S. Valentine II. In 1929, the table was restored by the museum; its hinges were replaced and its leaves extended. On January 14, 1988, the table was recommended for deaccessioning by the Valentine's curator.
On April 12, 1988, the table was deaccessioned from the collection of the Valentine Museum and purchased by Dr. Thomas Murrell Jr. (1916–1993) and Tazwell M. Carrington III (1917–2000). Dr. Murrell and Mr. Carrington then donated the table to PHMF on October 16, 1988.