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 11/07/1997
NRHP Reference Number 97001402
An outstanding and little-known Georgian mansion, Poplar Hall was erected in the 1760s on the banks of Broad Creek in Norfolk. Its original owner was Thurmer Hoggard, a planter and ship’s carpenter who developed a private shipyard at the site. With its symmetrical land and water facades, Flemish-bond brickwork, and paneled woodwork, the house represents the ideal of a prosperous colonial residence. The name derives from a row of Lombardy poplar trees planted in the 1790s along the water’s edge, some of the first of the species in America. The property remained in the Hoggard family until 1952 when the house and twelve acres were purchased by Mr. and Mrs. William Baker Copeland. The last vestiges of Poplar Hall’s park-like setting were eradicated in 1985 when all but the house lot was sold for residential development.
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 29, 2021
