Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/17/1987
NRHP Listing Date 05/14/1987
NRHP Reference Number 87000752
Rockland takes its name from the limestone outcroppings permeating the 600-acre farm, located in the Catoctin Rural Historic District. Gen. George Rust, a prominent Loudoun County gentleman, replaced deteriorating wooden structures with this imposing brick mansion in 1822. Of large scale and with boldly detailed woodwork, the house is one the finest of several important Federal plantation dwellings in the area. The property was later inherited by Gen. Rust’s son, Col. Armistead T. M. Rust, an 1842 West Point graduate who served with the 19th Virginia Infantry during the Civil War. His death in 1887 left his second wife, Ida Lee, with fourteen children and an encumbered estate. Exuding tremendous energy and business acumen, she repaid the debt and educated her youngest children. Her sons were sent west at age fifteen to escape the hardships of Reconstruction. Her son Edwin enlarged Rockland around 1908. As of the mid-1990s, Rockland remained owned by Rust family descendants.
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: April 19, 2021
