Seventeen-year-old Lucy Ludwell Paradise stood on the staircase of her London home in her night shift and cap. A low rumble of thunder caused the crystals to tremble on the chandelier above.

Trying not to make the floorboards creak, Lucy followed the sound of clinking glass to the dining room, where her husband sat facing the windows, a half-finished bottle of brandy in front of him. John turned and saw her, embarrassed. A louder crack of thunder shook the house, and he jumped, knocking over the bottle with his elbow. Three months after their wedding, young Lucy was beginning to understand the kind of man she had married.

You too can picnic along the beach under ancient cypress trees at Chippokes

Two years before in 1767, Lucy’s beloved father, Philip Ludwell III, had died, leaving her a sizeable inheritance back in her native Virginia. This included a valuable plantation on the James River known as Chippokes. She hadn’t seen it since she was a child, but she remembered fondly its towering cypress trees and the fields neatly planted with corn and tobacco. Lucy dreamed of going back and living nearby, but her husband, John Paradise, wouldn’t hear of it. He hadn’t married an heiress just to leave his native Europe for a lawless colony in the New World. And besides, John had heard Chippokes was a magnet for thunderstorms.

After ten years of marriage, the Paradises had become fixtures of London high society. They had two charming daughters and were well known across Europe. Despite appearances, however, things were not perfect for Lucy and her husband. Across the Atlantic, Virginia and twelve other British colonies had declared independence from England. Lucy’s landholdings had been repossessed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, due to her loyalty to the British Crown. Chippokes, the jewel of her father’s estate, was no longer Lucy’s property. Any prospect of returning to those fields along the salt marsh or picnicking in the shade of the cypress trees looked dim.

All hope was not lost, however. Although the Paradises were Loyalists, they had some very influential friends on the American side. John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and even George Washington had dined at Lucy’s table. Her sister was married to William Lee, a prominent American patriot and diplomat. Lucy and John bided their time in England until the war came to an end, then called on their American associates to regain their property in Virginia. Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in restoring Chippokes to Lucy’s hands, and even advised her on how to manage its rich timber supply.             

John reluctantly agreed to go to Virginia in 1787, in order to pick up the pieces of Lucy’s inheritance. Their stay was brief, however; just a year later they returned to England. Lucy would have to wait yet again to reclaim her identity as a Virginian. After John died in 1795, Lucy found herself with no reason to stay in England, both her daughters having tragically passed as well. Without anyone to stop her, Lucy determinedly boarded a ship and sailed to Virginia.

Breathtaking wildlife like these migratory red-winged blackbirds is just one of Chippokes’ charms

Finally realizing a lifelong dream, Lucy lost no time reconnecting with her nieces, who let her stay in the family home in Williamsburg. From there, she could take excursions to Chippokes just by crossing the placid James River. As mental illness gripped her towards the end of her life, Lucy had an increasingly difficult time around people, and the solitude of her plantations was a comfort. Chippokes’ peaceful, fossil-scattered beach was far removed from crowded London and even thriving Williamsburg, where her neighbors shied away from her English manners, her Orthodox Christian customs, and her exotic clothing.

For the first time in her life, Lucy was in full control, but it hadn’t turned out how she hoped. Ostracized by the community she had longed to return to, Lucy was ultimately placed in a mental asylum, where she died in 1814.

Because of its location along the James River, Chippokes gets some interesting weather

But no more thunderstorms than anywhere else

Although her story may end sadly, Lucy Ludwell Paradise took risks many women of her time would not have. Sailing alone to live in a fledgling country, managing her own property, and daring to befriend powerful people whose political views stood opposite her husband’s: these actions show confidence and tenacity.

Whether you’re hoping to exercise your independence, relive your childhood, or escape troublesome neighbors, Lucy Paradise would advise you that Chippokes State Park has something special for you to see here along the James River.