Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 05/15/1984
NRHP Listing Date 08/16/1984
NRHP Reference Number 84003540
Built ca. 1836 by Dr. Samuel Powell Byrd, on property inherited by his wife, Catherine Corbin Fauntleroy, White Hall is the successor to an earlier brick dwelling, long the seat of the Willis family. The present house is an example of the pedimented, temple-form dwelling type popular for more sophisticated early-19th-century Virginia houses. Along with such antecedents as the Finnie House in Williamsburg and the John Marshall House in Richmond, White Hall reflects the increasing interest in using classical forms for dignity and character. The house is a marked contrast to the unimaginative I-house, the more usual form of Virginia’s rural houses, both large and small. Like many of Gloucester County’s historic dwellings, White Hall is set near the water’s edge, the Ware River in this case, and is approached by an impressive axial drive lined with cedars.
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: July 29, 2021
