Fancy Hill is one of the seven fine 19th-century houses referred to as the “Seven Hills of Rockbridge County.” Constructed in 1821, Fancy Hill is significant for its architectural form and its historical association to notable Rockbridge County institutions, such as the Rockbridge Agricultural Society, organized at the residence in 1827, and the Fancy Hill Academy of the 1870s. The house and property at Fancy Hill evolved through additions in 1831, the 1840s, and 1936. Consistently high quality craftsmanship is clearly evident, whether it is the Federal-style 19th-century house or the Depression-era farm buildings. Along with Fancy Hill, the Seven Hill houses include Cherry Hill (1790), Fruit Hill (1822), Rose Hill (1824), Hickory Hill (1825), Clover Hill (1834), and Liberty Hill (1836). These architectural icons of Rockbridge were constructed for the Welch, Greenlee, and Grigsby families.
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