Mulberry Hill, human settlement in Virginia, United States of America
Mulberry Hill is a historic plantation in Virginia featuring a main house that evolved over roughly a hundred years. The building began as a one-story structure, later expanded into a two-story residence with a hip roof, and received its current appearance around 1903 when architect William C. McDowell redesigned it for Eleanor Junkin Cox Latane.
The earliest sections of the house were built around 1797 for Andrew Reid, the first county clerk of Rockbridge County. The property was expanded through the 19th and early 20th centuries by successive owners including Samuel McDowell Reid, and experienced a brief military occupation by Union soldiers in June 1864 during the Civil War.
The name Mulberry Hill references the mulberry trees that once grew on the grounds. The main house and outbuildings reflect the social structure of plantation life, showing the physical separation between the owner's residence and the spaces where workers lived and labored.
The main house is generally not open to the public as it remains a private residence. You can view the building from the nearby road and enjoy the exterior and gardens, which are oriented toward views of House Mountain.
Union soldiers used the grounds in 1864 as a strategic outpost because of its elevated position overlooking the surrounding landscape. They positioned guns on the property and attempted to shell a nearby bridge, though the attack was unsuccessful.
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