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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 moldings and elaborate
ceiling medallions throughout 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. Also open are the laundry and
dining rooms. Special exhibit galleries include those honoring
former Governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr., an exhibit celebrating the
peanut industry in Suffolk, and a gallery for quarterly changing
exhibits. Riddick's Folly also offers a tastefully stocked
Gift Shop.
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