Mulberry Hill
Why it's listed
Mulberry Hill is a five-bay, two-story brick house on a ridge at the western edge of Lexington, Virginia, set within 7.7 acres of lawn and trees. Its core was built by Andrew Reid around 1798-1805. Reid was the first Clerk of Court for Rockbridge County and one of its wealthiest citizens. The house began as a one-story, four-room, double-pile brick building. A second story was added in the mid-19th century, probably for his son Samuel McDowell Reid. Around 1903, local architect William G. McDowell replaced the gables with a hipped roof, added a new cornice, and altered the main facade and upper-floor rooms. Inside, the principal rooms have elaborate late Georgian woodwork and plaster ornament, along with an iron fireback reading "Be Liberty Thine." A formal boxwood garden was laid out in the 1930s behind the house. The property is noted for showing a hundred years of changing local taste and for its refined interior detail.
Significance in brief: The house shows a century of changing architectural taste in Lexington, evolving from a one-story double-pile core to a two-story gable-roof house and then a hipped-roof mansion. It also has unusually elaborate late Georgian woodwork and plasterwork, and an early 20th-century garden. It is tied to Andrew Reid, first Clerk of Court for Rockbridge County, and to the architect William G. McDowell.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82004671, listed September 9, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Liberty Hall Rd., Lexington (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Lexington |
| Listed | September 9, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004671 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William G. McDowell (ca. 1903); original core built by Andrew Reid |
| Architectural style | Late Georgian interior woodwork; Federal and Italianate elements; hipped-roof mansion |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Undergoing renovation at the time of nomination; described as in good condition and expected to be inhabited again soon. |
| Acreage | 7.7 |
| Within district | Lexington Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.79012, -79.44977 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82004671.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6933817
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.