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POPLAR HALL el was about the year 1640 that the first member ISH} of the Hoggard family came to this country. eri Shortly after that, he obtained from the Crown a tract of land in Tidewater Virginia, and this grant, it is interesting to note, has never passed out of the possession of his descendants of the same name and blood. As the place has never been sold, it has never been identified with any other name than that of Hoggard. Tradition says that the place name, Poplar Hall, originated from the numerous and very fine poplar trees planted about the house; there is also a story that these trees were brought from England. This, however, seems almost impossible. To begin with, the ships of the seventeenth century were too small, navigation was too difficult and absolute necessities were so essential, that the early colonists could not afford to consider anything else. But, even if the trees were imported and were put out, two centuries later not one of the original growth of poplars remains. ‘Their place has been well taken by pecan trees, which shade the lawn; and add to this, their great commercial value. _ The house, a plain brick structure, stands on a slight elevation directly on the shores of Broad Creek, a tributary of the Elizabeth River, which flows through Norfolk County. Though once far from civilization, the dwelling is now almost in the heart of the city of Norfolk. The exact date of its building is not known, but interior and exterior work and design, the type of brick used, and the general atmosphere of the smaller buildings, would seem to place it about 1645. The following poem, written in June, 1828, gives the best description of life at Poplar Hall to be had: [154]
