{"nrhp_refnum":"82004578","name":"Rocklands","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of Gordonsville on VA 231","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gordonsville","county":"Orange County","state":"VA","lat":38.17816949500008,"lon":-78.18650835476993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-09-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Landscape Architecture","Military","Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Rocklands is a Georgian Revival mansion and working farm estate of about 1,740 acres north of Gordonsville, Orange County, Virginia. The main house was built around 1905-07 for Thomas Atkinson and remodeled in 1933-35.","why_significant":"The nomination presents Rocklands as an estate notable for its scenic beauty, architecture and historical associations. It cites the Georgian Revival mansion remodeled by New York architect William Lawrence Bottomley, the landscaped grounds, and an 1822 brick farmhouse. It also notes the estate's development by Richard Barton Haxall and a Confederate skirmish fought there in December 1864.","narrative":"Rocklands is a large estate of about 1,740 acres north of Gordonsville in Orange County, Virginia, centered on a Georgian Revival mansion on a hill above pastureland. Richard Barton Haxall of the Richmond milling family assembled the land after 1851. His house burned in 1905, and Thomas Atkinson then built the present residence, whose architect is unknown. In 1933-35 New York architect William Lawrence Bottomley lowered the house by removing its English basement, replaced a two-story guest wing with a one-story arcaded loggia, and added a rear portico modeled on Pavilion V at the University of Virginia. Landscape architect Umberto Innocenti designed the gardens. The estate also includes an 1822 brick farmhouse, barns and service buildings. A Confederate cavalry force under Gen. L.L. Lomax repulsed a Union advance here in December 1864. The nomination praises the farm as one of the state's most successful pastoral scenes.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"William L. Bottomley (alterations); original architect not identified","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Main house in excellent condition and occupied; the estate remains a productive farm. Several outbuildings, including the 1822 Henshaw house, are abandoned or deteriorated, though the 1822 house is being stabilized.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.621147-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/35/6823/41682335/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/82004578.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004578/27349e3dd3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004578/27349e3dd3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown photographer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rocklands_ca_1910.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown photographer</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rocklands_ca_1910.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"90002115","name":"Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/madison-barbour-rural-historic-district-90002115/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682335","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocklands_(Gordonsville,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15272911"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/orange-county/rocklands-82004578/"}