Windgard

Situated approximately 0.1 mile west of Sutherland, Virginia, on Route 460, and reached via Route 631 and Route 613 followed by a private lane, Windgard stands as one of Dinwiddie County's enduring early homesteads. The property sits on a slight hill overlooking rugged farm lands near the northern loops of Hatcher's Run.

The original structure was built by the family of Colonel John Bannister around 1750. Constructed of a good grade of original growth pine timbers that were hand-hewn and whip-sawed, the 1.5-story frame dwelling features a gabled roof facing east, two big brick chimneys on the north and south ends, and a one-room wing addition on the southwest corner. The interior boasts plastered walls with two-and-a-half-foot wainscoting, pine floors of varying widths, an enclosed winding stairway, and hand-carved high mantels.

The property holds an important place in local genealogy regarding the final resting place of Colonel John Bannister. Genealogical records indicate that Colonel John Bannister was buried in the family burying ground on his Hatcher's Run estate known as "Martins." Historical WPA inventory documentation for Windgard confirms that this property was formerly known as "Martins" and was built by Colonel John Bannister's family around 1750 along the Hatcher's Run watershed. This geographic and documentary link bridges the Hatcher's Run plantation estate references with the historic "Martins" tract and the site recorded as Windgard.

Ownership of the property descended through various families. It was inherited by George W. Goodyn from his father, Albert T. Goodyn, who had purchased it directly from Colonel Bannister. In January 1868, George W. Goodyn and his wife Elizabeth I. sold the property to Rev. John Miller. Upon his death, it passed to his unmarried daughters—Margaret, Susannah P., and Elizabeth H. Miller—who sold it to John R. Beck on January 18, 1906. John R. Beck, as executor, later sold the 302-acre tract portion to Robert L. Young in October 1919, who subsequently sold the house tract to William H. Webb.

Though time and changing hands have weathered its original timbers, Windgard remains a remarkable monument of Dinwiddie County's mid-18th-century architectural and genealogical heritage.