General Info

While Mills Riddick’s contemporaries may have mocked his Greek Revival home when it was built in 1837, the house now stands as a beautiful reminder of the past. This most impressive structure on Main Street in Suffolk features striking architectural details. The five frieze band windows across the front of the house are rarely seen in eastern Virginia. The front of the mansion is bricked in Flemish bond, and double chimneys rise from both ends of the stately historic landmark. Slender columns of the Greek Revival period frame the main entrance. The interior showcases intricately carved and gilded moldings and elaborate ceiling medallions throughout the main floor of the house. Riddick’s Folly has four floors, twenty-one rooms, and sixteen fireplaces. All four floors are open to the public. The building features elegantly furnished double parlors, a gentlemen’s library, and adult and children’s bedchambers. Our three newest projects are the bathing and dressing room on the third floor, the slave quarters on the fourth floor and their winter kitchen which is housed in the English basement along with the laundry and dining rooms. We also have a tastefully stocked Gift Shop in the English basement which was once the larder or pantry. Riddick’s Folly is a member of: American Association of Museums American Association for State and Local History Virginia Association of Museums South Hampton Roads Museum Forum Time Travelers Southside of the James Attractions Riddick’s Folly is also registered with : National Register for Historic Places Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Virginia Civil War Trails