National Register of Historic Places

Malvern Hill (Additional Documentation)

Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia
Listed
November 11, 1969
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
69000248

About this property

Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about 18 miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. The name referred primarily to the house built by Thomas Cocke in the 17th century, which remained in his family for many years. It was named after the Malvern Hills in England. The historic home was gutted by a fire in 1905, but ruins stood into the 1970s. The east end wall of the Malvern Hill ruins still stood when the property was surveyed for the Henrico County 1976 Inventory of Early Architecture and Historic Sites. It incorporated "the brick chimney of an earlier frame house probably built in the late 17th century, [which] constitute the oldest standing man-made structure in Henrico County". The diaper-patterned glazed headers in the chimney were among the earliest example of decorative brickwork in the American colonies. Now, the Malvern Hill ruins have almost completely fallen over. Only a portion of the northeast and southeast comers were still readily evident in the 1995 survey update, when the Malvern Hill ruins stood in a pasture. Livestock have hastened their continuing deterioration. Their current condition is unknown. The home site figured in three wars. Lafayette camped there twice in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. Virginia militia also camped there in the War of 1812. However, it is best known as the site of bloody Battle of Malvern Hill in 1862, during the American Civil War. In August 2016, the 871-acre Malvern Hill Farm was listed for sale for $10.6 million by the descendants of William H. Ferguson Sr. (1885–1984). It was purchased by the non-profit Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC) in February 2018 for $6.6 million. CRLC subsequently recorded conservation easements to protect 465 acres with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and 25 acres with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Portions of the property were then gifted to Henrico County for the future site of an open space area for education and passive recreation as well as the James River Association for a canoe/kayak launch into Turkey Island Creek that flows into the James River at Presquile National Wildlife Refuge. Capital Region Land Conservancy is holding the remaining 380 acres to be included into the National Park Service Richmond National Battlefield Park.

Location

Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia
37.39959, -77.24293

Categories

MILITARYARCHITECTUREAGRICULTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Flood Marker of 1771
Colonial
1.4 mi
Hardens
Industrial
1.9 mi
Dogham, Doggams
Industrial
2.5 mi
Glendale National Cemetery
Listed
2.6 mi
Curles Neck Farm
Modern
2.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of White Oak Swamp
1862Civil War
1 mi
Second Battle of Fair Oaks (October 27 1864)
1864Civil War
1.3 mi
Trent's Reach Naval Action
1865Civil War
1.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Malvern Hill (Additional Documentation) listed on the National Register?

Malvern Hill (Additional Documentation) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 11, 1969.

What type of historic resource is Malvern Hill (Additional Documentation)?

Malvern Hill (Additional Documentation) is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Malvern Hill (Additional Documentation)?

The period of significance for Malvern Hill (Additional Documentation) is recorded as the industrial era.

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