At the southwest corner of Franklin and Bank Streets stands a beautiful French Second Empire home built in the 1880's by Horace B. Phillips. Phillips was involved in the lumber business in Suffolk.

The building originally faced Franklin Street and was only two rooms deep. By 1894 the bay wing on the Bank Street side had been added. In the 1910-1920 decade the home was further improved by the addition of an enlarged parlor, an elegant front entrance on the Bank Street side, and a graceful staircase in the entry hall. The kitchen, garden house, and garage were apparently added at the same time.

The home was purchased by Dr. & Mrs. Challis Dawson in 1941 after the deaths of Mr. & Mrs. Phillips.

Dr. Dawson had met his bride when he was serving in France during World War I. Yvonne Dienne Dawson was a concert pianist who had studied at the Paris Conservatory as a child. After the war they lived in New York for several years, he practicing medicine and she continuing her musical career. The Dawsons' only child, a son, Gerard Challis Dawson, was born in 1927.

After they moved to Suffolk in the early '40's, Dr. Dawson operated a medical practice and Mrs. Dawson taught piano lessons, both in their newly acquired home.

Gerard attended Harvard University and eventually worked at Tiffany and Company in New York for more than thirty years. In the years after the deaths of his parents and his later retirement, Gerard alternately lived in New York and his home in Suffolk.

Gerard Dawson passed away in 2002, leaving his family home to Suffolk Nansemond Historical Society as a memorial to his parents. The Dawson house, as the mansion became more popularly known, became the headquarters of the Society.

Today, the Dawson House is undergoing extensive renovation. The slate mansard roof was restored in 2007, and the building foundations were stabilized in 2008. Further work is needed in the electrical system, heating/air conditioning, and in interior and exterior finishes. A renovation plan has been developed and is being implemented as funds become available.

The Phillips-Dawson House as it appeared in 1907.

SUFFOLK NANSEMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P.O. Box 1255
Suffolk, Virginia 23439-1255

Phone (757)539-2781
Email: snhs@verizon.net