Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/01/2005
NRHP Listing Date 07/27/2005
NRHP Reference Number 05000764
Located within Cumberland State Forest, Oak Hill is a two-story, three-bay, frame dwelling constructed around 1810 by plantation owner William Mynn Thornton (1781–1856). Illustrating the tastes of the planter class during the early to mid-19th century, Oak Hill exhibits Federal-style influence in its center-passage, single-pile floor plan, and in such details as a seven-pane fanlight above the entrance door and its interior trim. The grave of infant Charles Irving Thornton is located in a family cemetery on the property. The Thornton tombstone carries an epitaph attributed to Charles Dickens and is individually listed in the state and national registers. In 1936, the Resettlement Administration of the U.S. government acquired Oak Hill as part of a program to conserve land depleted by erosion and agricultural practices, and in 1954 it was conveyed to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Since that time, Oak Hill has been used as housing for state employees.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: October 4, 2021
