{"nrhp_refnum":"04000273","name":"Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":null,"address_restricted":true,"city":"Middletown","county":"Frederick County","state":"VA","lat":39.02227794200007,"lon":-78.29968209299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-12-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Agriculture","Architecture","Ethnic Heritage-Black","Archeology-Historic Non-Aboriginal","Archeology-Prehistoric","Other"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Belle Grove is a one-and-one-half story, hip-roofed limestone manor house near Middletown in Frederick County, Virginia, now part of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. The house was completed in 1797 by Isaac Hite.","why_significant":"The house was built by Major Isaac Hite, grandson of Jost Hite, one of the largest landholders and earliest pioneers in the Shenandoah Valley, linking it to the region's settlement. On October 19, 1864, it was the scene of the Battle of Cedar Creek, the decisive Civil War battle in the Valley, and served as Union General Philip Sheridan's headquarters.","narrative":"Belle Grove is a one-and-one-half story manor house of locally cut limestone with a hipped roof, located south of Middletown in Virginia's northern Shenandoah Valley. The front wall is laid in hand-cut ashlar blocks, while the sides and rear use random coursing, and a one-story Roman portico anchors both main facades. Inside, the rooms are arranged symmetrically around a long central hall, with carved paneling, mantels and woodwork, an especially fine parlor, and a concealed stairway rising from a hall closet. Major Isaac Hite, grandson of early Valley pioneer and major landholder Jost Hite, built the house, which was completed in 1797. Its ties to the Hite family connect it to the settlement of this part of Virginia. On October 19, 1864, the property was at the center of the Battle of Cedar Creek, the decisive Civil War battle in the Valley, and Union General Philip Sheridan used the house as his headquarters. It now forms part of a national historical park.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Major Isaac Hite (builder); Thomas Jefferson is said in a press release to have assisted with the design","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Operated as a historic house museum; the 1969 form rates its condition as fair and notes it is occupied and open to the public.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.53033-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/26/6808/41680826/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/04000273.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"69000243","name":"Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/cedar-creek-battlefield-and-belle-grove-69000243/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680826","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/frederick-county/cedar-creek-and-belle-grove-national-historical-park-04000273/"}