Locust Grove is a fine example of the survival of 18th-century Georgian forms well into the 19th century. The original kitchen and smokehouse are still standing on the property along with this pre-1844 residence. Locust Grove was originally a part of “The Farm” granted to Nicholas Meriwether in 1735.  George Sinclair purchased the 534-acre property from Thomas Meriwether for $16,000 in 1839. Construction on the existing house was begun shortly after that purchase and lasted over a period of four years. During Gen. Philip Sheridan’s raid of Charlottesville during the Civil War, a regiment encamped here and carried off horses, servants, and other valuables. The property was purchased by the Locust Grove Investment Co. in 1876 and subdivided; the 534-acre farm now comprises much of the northeast portion of Charlottesville, and it contributes to the city’s listed Martha Jefferson Historic District.

The buildings and districts listed under the Charlottesville Multiple Resource Area nomination represent a cross section of all the city’s historic periods, from the founding of Charlottesville in the 1760s through the advent of the automobile and the impact it had on the city’s expansion. Also included are buildings that have played an important part in the history of Charlottesville’s black community. Locust Grove was listed in the registers under the Charlottesville MRA without a formal nomination document.