Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/01/1999
NRHP Listing Date 01/28/2000
NRHP Reference Number 00000026
The Holland-Duncan House has served as a focal point for the Hales Ford community in Franklin County since its construction in the 1830s by plantation owner Asa Holland. The two-story, Flemish-bond brick Holland-Duncan House features molded brick cornices, gauged jack arches over the first-story windows, and Federal-style interior detailing. Asa Holland served as Hales Ford’s federal postmaster before the Civil War, and during the war he served the Confederacy in the same capacity. A small frame dependency on the grounds may represent the Hales Ford Post Office. After the Civil War, William Duncan married Holland’s daughter, Sallie, and the couple operated private academies at this property from 1874 to 1895. William Duncan became a prominent two-term superintendent of Franklin County schools in the late 1800s. Modern commercial development associated with Smith Mountain Lake has transformed the Hales Ford community, but the Holland-Duncan House survives much as it was historically.
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: June 27, 2022
