The Sutherlin House, one of the outstanding examples of the Italian Villa-style in Virginia, was built in 1857-58 for Maj. William T. Sutherlin, a member of the Virginia Convention of 1861 and later chief quartermaster for Danville. On April 2, 1865, when the Confederate government evacuated Richmond, Danville was chosen for a temporary capital. During the week of April 3-10, 1865, the Sutherlins opened their home to President Davis and members of his cabinet. It was in this mansion that Davis signed his last official proclamation as president of the Confederate States of America and presided over the last official cabinet meeting. Davis and the remnants of his fugitive government left Danville on April 10 for Greensboro, N.C., and their “flight into oblivion.” Typical of the Italian Villa style, the Sutherlin House has a stepped-back facade, heavy bracketed cornice, and a shallow hipped roof topped by a square belvedere. At the time of the listing of the Sutherlin House in the registers in the late 1960s, it was serving as the Danville Public Library.  It now operates as the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, and is a centerpiece in the state and national register listed Danville Historic District.