Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/19/1997
NRHP Listing Date 05/23/1997
NRHP Reference Number 97000484
Deep in the Franklin County countryside, the Finney-Lee House is a surprisingly refined late Federal I-house exhibiting handsomely crafted wooden trim and Flemish-bond brickwork. Such dwellings, although not commonplace, were preferred by many southern Virginia gentry families in contrast to the more robust Greek Revival plantation mansions of the Deep South. The house was built in 1838-39 for Peter Finney, owner of some 3000 acres and thirty slaves, who died shortly before its completion. In 1855 Finney’s son William sold the house and 445 acres to Charles C. Lee whose wife Louisa was Peter Finney’s daughter. Delicately detailed Federal ornamentation is found on the stair brackets and mantels. On the second floor of the Finney-Lee House is a so-called “traveler’s room,” a room originally accessible only from a stair in the dining room. Among the farm buildings are two ca. 1900 tobacco barns and a tobacco packhouse.
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: September 21, 2021
