Centre Hill Museum

Centre Hill
Center Hill in 2005
Location Center Hill Lane, Petersburg, Virginia
Coordinates 37°13′50″N 77°24′6″W / 37.23056°N 77.40167°W / 37.23056; -77.40167Coordinates: 37°13′50″N 77°24′6″W / 37.23056°N 77.40167°W / 37.23056; -77.40167
Area 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built 1823 (1823)
Architectural style Greek Revival, Greek Revival transitional
NRHP Reference # 72001514[1]
VLR # 123-0057
Significant dates
Added to NRHP December 27, 1972
Designated VLR November 21, 1972[2]

The Centre Hill Museum is a historic home located at Petersburg, Virginia in the Centre Hill Mansion at 1 Centre Hill Avenue (near North Adams and Henry streets).

History

The mansion was built in 1823 by Robert Bolling IV, who had served in the Revolutionary Army.[3] An extensive remodeling was undertaken by Robert Buckner Bolling in the 1840s.[4] It is a two-story, five bay, transitional Greek Revival style brick dwelling. An east wing was added about 1850. The front facade features a has a flat-roofed five-bay verandah supported by six Greek Ionic order columns.[5]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1] It is located in the Centre Hill Historic District.

Today the house encompasses three American architectural styles.[3] The mansion's South Facade is dominated by a Greek Revival-style porch with ionic columns. Greek Revival architectural ornamentation is a feature of the interior, along with elements of early Federal style and later Colonial Revival style.[4]

The 1840s renovation also included construction of a tunnel from the back of the house to nearby Henry Street.[4] Slaves used the tunnel to carry food in and out of the house.[6]

Notable events

President Abraham Lincoln spoke to Union soldiers occupying the mansion[6] during a trip to Petersburg in April 1865.[3] President William Howard Taft was a guest in May 1909.[3]

The mansion was used as a set in the made-for-TV movie Killing Lincoln.[6]

Legends

Every January 24, the ghosts of American Civil War soldiers are said to march up the stairs at 7:30 p.m. Twenty minutes later, the specters march back down the stairs and leave, slamming the front door behind them.[6]

Neighbors also have reported seeing a Lady in White standing at an upstairs window.[6]

The museum hosts a "Ghost Watch" on January 24 each year.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Virginia Tourism Corporation – retrieved 1/28/2013
  4. 1 2 3 4 City of Petersburg, Virginia – retrieved 1/28/2013
  5. ↑ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (September 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Centre Hill" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Wallace, Lena. (2013, January 25). Guests are on the lookout for ghosts at Centre Hill Mansion. The Progress-Index. Retrieved 1/28/2013:

External links

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