Est. 1613
As North America’s oldest business, the Shirley Plantation in Virginia was founded in 1613, and has been owned by the Hill family since 1638. They initially made their money with slaves and a tobacco crop, until 1865 when slavery was outlawed in the state.
Now, the plantation is a National Historic Landmark, established in 1970. These days, tourism is how they make their money, but the Hill family (the 11th generation), still lives in the upper floors of the main house, to provide guided tours of the estate.
