Spring Grove’s stuccoed walls, bracketed cornice, and square cupola make this imposing pile an excellent example of the Italian Villa style advocated for the southern states by the architectural theorist Andrew Jackson Downing. The present house, at least the third on the site, was built in 1856 for Daniel Coleman DeJarnette, whose family had owned this Caroline County property since the 18th century. DeJarnette served in the Virginia House of Delegates, the U.S. Congress, and the Confederate Congress. Spring Grove’s interior has heavy molded classical woodwork with its original painted graining. Other interior embellishments include a curved stair, plasterwork ceiling medallions, and marble mantels. The architect of this highly sophisticated mansion is yet to be discovered.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia