Carter Hall (Millwood, Virginia)

Carter Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Carter Hall
Location	NE of Millwood off VA 255, Millwood, Virginia, USA
Coordinates
Area	90 acres (36 ha)
Built	1792
Architect	Wade Muldoon (1948 gardens); Harrie T. Lindeberg (1930 remodel)
Architectural style	Georgian, Other
NRHP Reference #	73002003
VLR #	021-0012
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 24, 1973
Designated VLR	June 19, 1973

Carter Hall was the Millwood, Virginia, USA estate of Lt. Col. Nathaniel Burwell (1750–1814). It is located in the lower Shenandoah River valley, off Virginia Route 255 northeast of Millwood. The estate includes a grand plantation house, a great lawn, and terraced gardens, and has panoramic views in all directions. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nathaniel Burwell inherited a 5,800-acre (2,347 ha) estate from his father Carter Burwell, of Carter's Grove, James City County, and had a mansion built during 1792–1800.

George Burwell (1799–1873) inherited the estate in 1814 and added the large portico, which is "by tradition" ascribed to a design of William Thornton, architect of the United States Capitol.

It served as headquarters for Stonewall Jackson during part of the American Civil War, and was raided and sacked by Union troops during the war. Stonewall Jackson used another house, in Lexington, Virginia, as headquarters during 1861–1862, and later established headquarters at Carter Hall during Fall of 1862. Jackson "declined George Burwell's invitation to stay in the house, camping instead with his men on the grounds. During his stay General Jackson permitted his surgeon, Dr. William McGuire, to perform a cataract operation on George Burwell on the portico."

It was also a home for Burwell's cousin Edmund Randolph, who had been United States Attorney General and later Secretary of State under George Washington, and was invited to pass his retirement with Colonel Burwell.

Carter Hall has a five-bay central block built of local limestone, originally with a central hall flanked by rooms extending the full depth of the house (single-pile plan). The flanking two-bay wings have pediment gable ends and the outermost, single-story wings are of a single bay, formerly with pediment ends.

The house was remodeled in 1930 for its new owner Gerard Lambert "under the direction of the fashionable New York architect, H.T. Lindeberg," and a four-level terraced garden designed by landscape architect Wade Muldoon was added in 1948. The stucco was removed from the exterior to expose the stone. In the house the central hall and east room were combined into a single space and the original wainscoting was replaced with richly-detailed neo-Georgian details based on woodwork at Shirley Plantation, Virginia. The dining room is the only room to retain significant portions of its original fittings.

Carter Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

It is now a conference center owned by Project Hope.

See also

• Stonewall Jackson Headquarters, Winchester, Virginia

External links

• Carter Hall, Clarke County, one photo at Virginia DHR
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. VA-358, "Carter Hall, State Route 723 vicinity, Millwood, Clarke County, VA", 2 photos, 2 data pages, supplemental material