Governor of West Virginia Auctioning Off Three Virginia Properties

The auction of three Colonial-era plantations belonging to the governor of West Virginia is right around the corner.

Gov. Jim Justice and his family are unloading the vast estates outside of Richmond in the neighboring state of Virginia at the end of this month, as they seek to downsize their company’s agricultural operations, the family said in a statement this week. The properties total 3,879 acres and were on the market at various times for a combined $40.2 million.

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"Our family has owned these plantations for quite some time, and now with my dad’s duties as Governor of West Virginia, we have decided to auction these incredible properties so that a new owner can enjoy all that they have to offer," said Jay Justice, the governor’s son who now leads James C. Justice Cos. and is overseeing the auction.

West Virginia elected Jim Justice, a longtime Republican who flipped to the Democratic Party in 2014 and the state’s only billionaire, in November. His business endeavors, including coal, soybeans and corn, have amassed a fortune worth some $1.59 billion, Forbes estimates.

The family has hired Premiere Estates Auction Co., California-based auctioneers specialized in high-end real estate, to sell the historic properties on June 28.

The auction will include Flowerdew Hundred, a 1,300-acre plantation on the James River in Hopewell, Virginia. The estate dates back to 1618, when the land was granted to a governor of Colonial Virginia George Yeardley, who named the estate after his wife, Temperance Flowerdew.

The plantation’s 14,000-square-foot main home is far more recent, built in 1998, and includes 13 bedrooms and nine full bathrooms.

Flowerdew is the only property of the three that cannot be subdivided. The other two, Horseshoe Farm in Rapidan and Rapidan Farm in Culpeper can both be divvied and sold in five parcels each, according to the auctioneers.

Horseshoe also dates back to Colonial times with a traditional plantation-style manor house built before the Civil War. It comes with formal gardens, original hand-painted murals and a vineyard.

Rapidan has the most land of the three, spanning some 1,700 acres. The property comes with a 4,500-square-foot manor house with additional servants quarters, a separate manager’s house and tenant houses. The property also includes a pool, cabana and tennis courts.

"The plantations are ideal for buyers looking to own a special piece of American history or to acquire top producing farmland," Jay Justice said in a statement.

The Justice family had previously listed Flowerdew for $12.2 million; Horseshoe for $9.2 million; and Rapidan for $18.8 million, according to listing records.

Instead of minimum bids, the auction is organized in two stages. Buyers will make initial offers, from which the top third of qualified bids will advance to the final round of bidding, according to Michael Schwartz, vice president of national sales for Premiere estates.