The Bellevue Rural Historic District in Bedford County is named for the district’s original 1,200-acre estate and historic two-story brick home (listed individually in the National Register in 1990). Bellevue later housed Bellevue School between 1866 and 1909, a renowned private academy for boys started by James P. Holcombe, a member of the Confederate Congress and of Jefferson Davis’s cabinet. The academy provided classical learning and catered to the students of well-to-do families from all over the nation, especially the South. In addition to Bellevue, the district contains a former school for the resident children of Brook Hill Farm circa 1904 (listed individually in the National Register in 1997). Brook Hill is one of the district’s well-preserved farms that are typically linked together by open fields and a narrow, tree-lined road. Collectively the farms in the district reflect the agricultural history of the region. Also contained within the Bellevue Rural Historic District are Trivium, a crossroads tavern that dates to 1832; Glenn Mary Farm, established 1939; many outbuildings—including a blacksmith shop, icehouse, smokehouse, and a log building—and houses featuring a variety of architectural styles including Federal, Victorian, Georgian, and Craftsman-Bungalow, all within a one-mile radius.

Additional documentation for the Bellevue Rural Historic District was approved by the National Park Service in 2020, correcting information regarding the architect of the main house at Glenn Mary Farm.
[NRHP Approved: 11/27/2020]