John Brockenborough

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John Brockenborough was a resident of Richmond, Virginia. He was president of the Bank of Virginia.

In 1818, John Brockenborough commissioned the building of a large residence. The house was built on two adjoining lots overlooking the Shockoe Valley. It is typically attributed to Robert Mills, a prominent American neo-classical architect and acquaintance of John Brockenbrough. The home, typical of Richmond’s finer early nineteenth century dwellings, was two-stories tall with a slate flat roof. The principal floor featured a parlor, drawing room and dining room, while the bedrooms were upstairs. A kitchen and servants’ residence were located in an adjoining outbuilding. A garden was built.

In 1861, the Brockenborough House, as it was then known, became the Executive Mansion of the Confederate States of America. It was the official residence of President Jefferson Davis, his wife Varina and their children, the house was also the social, political and military center of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861-1865). It became known as the White House of the Confederacy.

After use for a number of years as a school, the Confederate Museum opened in February 22, 1896 in the former White House of the Confederacy. Today, the gray stuccoed Brockenborough House has been preserved as a National Historical Landmark and is part of the Museum of the Confederacy complex 3 blocks north of Virginia's State Capital building in Richmond.