Centre Hill Museum

Historic house in Virginia, United States
United States historic place
Centre Hill
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property
Virginia Landmarks Register
Center Hill in 2005
37°13′50″N 77°24′6″W / 37.23056°N 77.40167°W / 37.23056; -77.40167
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1823 (1823)
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Greek Revival transitional
NRHP reference No.72001514[1]
VLR No.123-0057
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 27, 1972
Designated VLRNovember 21, 1972[2]

Centre Hill Museum or Centre Hill Mansion as its proper name, completed initial construction in 1823 and was built by Revolutionary War veteran Robert Bolling IV. The Bollings were a very prominent family for many generations, being granted a plot of land in present-day Petersburg by the then King of England. Centre Hill served as Union headquarters during the reconstruction period; therefore, a meeting between a Union general and President Lincoln took place inside the home in 1865. President Taft also spent time on the property. Its doors were opened as a museum in the 1950s.

History

The mansion was built in 1823 by Robert Bolling IV, who had served in the Revolutionary Army.[3] An extensive remodeling was undertaken by Robert Buckner Bolling in the 1840s.[4] It is a two-story, five-bay, transitional Greek Revival style brick dwelling. An east wing was added about 1850. The front facade features a has a flat-roofed five-bay verandah supported by six Greek Ionic order columns.[5]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1] It is located in the Centre Hill Historic District.

Today the house encompasses three American architectural styles.[3] The mansion's South Facade is dominated by a Greek Revival-style porch with ionic columns. Greek Revival architectural ornamentation is a feature of the interior, along with elements of early Federal style and later Colonial Revival style.[4]

The 1840s renovation also included construction of a tunnel from the back of the house to nearby Henry Street.[4] Slaves used the tunnel to carry food in and out of the house.[6]

Notable events

President Abraham Lincoln spoke to Union soldiers occupying the mansion[6] during a trip to Petersburg in April 1865.[3] President William Howard Taft was a guest in May 1909.[3]

The mansion was used as a set in the made-for-TV movie Killing Lincoln.[6]

The mansion was also used as the set of the Green family home [7] in the PBS drama Mercy Street (TV series).

Legends

Every January 24, the ghosts of American Civil War soldiers are said to march up the stairs at 7:30 p.m. Twenty minutes later, the specters march back down the stairs and leave, slamming the front door behind them.[6]

Neighbors also have reported seeing a Lady in White standing at an upstairs window.[6]

The museum hosts a "Ghost Watch" on January 24 each year.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d Virginia Tourism Corporation – retrieved 1/28/2013
  4. ^ a b c d City of Petersburg, Virginia – retrieved 1/28/2013 Archived January 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (September 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Centre Hill" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
  6. ^ a b c d e Wallace, Lena. (2013, January 25). Guests are on the lookout for ghosts at Centre Hill Mansion. The Progress-Index. Retrieved 1/28/2013: "Guests are on the lookout for ghosts at Centre Hill Mansion - News - Progress-Index". Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  7. ^ "The Real-Life Inspiration for PBS' "Mercy Street" | National Trust for Historic Preservation".
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