Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/19/1996
NRHP Listing Date 12/06/1996
NRHP Reference Number 96001452
Virginia’s Southside plantation houses are either formal works of architecture such as Prestwould and Berry Hill, or houses that started modestly and evolved to meet subsequent needs. Among the latter type is Sunnyside, a multi-sectioned homestead, the earliest part of which was built in 1833 for Samuel and Eliza Hester on property inherited from Eliza’s father, Robert Greenwood. To their simple, three-bay, side-passage dwelling, an I-house section was added following Tucker Carrington’s acquisition in 1836. Carrington was a local politician and businessman, as well as a developer of the Mecklenburg County town of Clarksville, where Sunnyside is located. In the 1850s, the I-house section was enlarged with one-story wings, possibly executed by area builder Jacob W. Holt. Following the Civil War, Carrington’s four unmarried daughters opened a school for young ladies at Sunnyside, which operated until 1908.
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: January 27, 2021
