Homestead by the Main Road
Lee Hall Mansion is the only Italianate antebellum plantation house on the lower Peninsula. It was completed in 1859 and was home to Richard D. Lee, justice of the peace for Warwick County. In 1850 Lee purchased a 452-acre tract of land, which was listed as “the homestead by the main road.” He began construction of this house in the mid-1850s.
Built on high ground, Lee Hall Mansion provided a commanding view of the countryside and was visible to travelers on the Great Warwick Road. Lee’s stately home consisted of three floors, 12 rooms and fireplaces and over 6,000 square feet. It served as the headquarters for Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and John B. Magruder from March through May 1862. The Confederate War Department rented 8 rooms from Mr. Lee.
Several architectural styles are visible at Lee Hall. Scrolled bracketed cornices support the Italianate porticos and low-hipped roof. The interior contains three original plaster ceiling medallions and a Georgian symmetrical floor plan with rooms opening into a long central hallway. The exterior also has Greek Revival dentils on the architrave and Gothic columns near the sidelights.
Marker can be reached from Yorktown Road (Virginia Route 238), on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
