The focal point of the Malvern Hill property, located east of Richmond in Henrico County, is the site of the manor house, built in the early 18th century and burned in 1905. The house was built for Thomas Cocke (died 1697), sheriff of Henrico County and a member of the House of Burgesses. The house reputedly replaced an earlier frame dwelling, while incorporating that house’s fine brick chimney. The Cocke family owned the property until the late 18th century. The ruined east chimney was still discernible, as was the cellar, until early in the 21st century. Currently only a small section of the north wall remains extant. Malvern Hill figured in three wars. Lafayette encamped here in July and August 1781, and the Virginia militia made camp here in the War of 1812. The bloody Civil War Battle of Malvern Hill took place nearby during the Peninsula campaign. Some 5,500 Confederates fell on the slopes of the hill on July 1, 1862. The house served as a Union headquarters.

The original 1969 nomination was updated in 2017 with maps delineating more accurate boundaries for the 742.71-acre Malvern Hill property.
[NRHP Approved: 6/5/2017]

An extensive update to the Malvern Hill nomination was drafted in 2020. As Malvern Hill is within the historic boundary of the Glendale and Malvern Hill Civil War battlefields, this additional documentation was approved by the National Park Service under the Multiple Property Documentation Form, The Civil War in Virginia, 1861-1865: Historic and Archaeological Resources.
[NRHP Approved: 10/15/2020]

The 2020 updated nomination for Malvern Hill was part of a larger effort to preserve the property in perpetuity. By 2024, several land ownership transfers had occurred, including the transfer of a large portion of the property to the National Park Service, and additional tracts conveyed to Henrico County.  Additional documentation clarifying those transfers was approved by the National Register of Historic Places in 2024, and is attached to the 2020 nomination update as a short appendix.
[NRHP Approved: 5/2/2024]