Grassdale (Trevilians, Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Grassdale is an Italianate-style villa in Louisa County, Virginia
, notable for its size and style in a stable, rural region. The house was built in 1861 by James Maury Morris, Jr., a member of the prominent Morris family of Louisa County. The tract had originally been assembled by James Morris' grandfather, Colonel Richard Morris, who had established the neighboring Green Springs
plantation. The property is part of the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District
, established to preserve the notable houses of the area and their surrounding landscapes.
, whose Watson and Taylor family connections were notable apart from his own notability in naval affairs and ship design. Imogene sold the house to the Walton Lumber Company in 1943.
Grassdale was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on July 2, 1973. It is included in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District
, which encompasses much of the surrounding countryside.
Louisa County, Virginia
Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.- History :...
, notable for its size and style in a stable, rural region. The house was built in 1861 by James Maury Morris, Jr., a member of the prominent Morris family of Louisa County. The tract had originally been assembled by James Morris' grandfather, Colonel Richard Morris, who had established the neighboring Green Springs
Green Springs (Trevilians, Virginia)
Green Springs was built in the late 18th century on lands in Louisa County, Virginia assembled by Sylvanus Morris. His son Richard developed near the mineral springs that gave the property its name and built the two-story frame house. The property stands in an unusually fertile region of central...
plantation. The property is part of the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District
Green Springs National Historic Landmark District
Green Springs National Historic Landmark District is a national historic district in Louisa County, Virginia noted for its concentration of fine rural manor houses and related buildings in an intact agricultural landscape...
, established to preserve the notable houses of the area and their surrounding landscapes.
Description
Grassdale is a two-story brick house in a T-shaped plan. A broad veranda surrounds the house on the front (east) side and part of the south side. The exterior features extensive bracketing in scales varied to suit the main house and the porch. The ell takes the form of a projecting pavilion, with its own projecting porch. The interior is laid out around a central hall with a room on either side, a cross hall with a stairway, and a dining room to the rear. The front hall is set apart from the cross hall with pilasters and an entablature. The main rooms have access to the porch through full-length windows that raise into a pocket in the wall above. Outbuildings include a smokehouse and a two-story kitchen.History
James Maury Morris Jr. inherited the property from his father, Dr. James Maury Morris Sr., in 1844. There had been structures at the site prior to the construction of the 1861 house. James Jr. died in 1872, leaving Grassdale to his widow. Their daughter, Imogene, inherited the house. Her husband was Rear Admiral David Watson TaylorDavid W. Taylor
Rear Admiral David Watson Taylor, USN was a naval architect and engineer of the United States Navy. He served during World War I as Chief Constructor of the Navy, and Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair...
, whose Watson and Taylor family connections were notable apart from his own notability in naval affairs and ship design. Imogene sold the house to the Walton Lumber Company in 1943.
Grassdale was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on July 2, 1973. It is included in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District
Green Springs National Historic Landmark District
Green Springs National Historic Landmark District is a national historic district in Louisa County, Virginia noted for its concentration of fine rural manor houses and related buildings in an intact agricultural landscape...
, which encompasses much of the surrounding countryside.