One of several substantial and well-fashioned Cabell family houses in the Piedmont region, Soldier’s Joy was built in 1783-1785 and enlarged in 1806. Samuel Jordan Cabell, for whom the house was built, was a Revolutionary War officer and served as the Republican congressman of the district from 1795 to 1803. Although its early-19th-century wings were reduced in size in this century, Soldier’s Joy remains one of the most ambitious of the Cabells’ building efforts. The late Georgian dwelling with its pedimented roof has stately proportions and decorous interior detailing, much of which was added when the house was enlarged. Lending additional interest is extensive documentation, including the detailed contract of the builder, James Robards. The woodwork of the dismantled ballroom wing, executed by James Oldham, is now displayed in the Cincinnati Art Museum. Soldier’s Joy is one of several individually listed properties in the Norwood-Wingina Rural Historic District in southern Nelson County.
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