Prospect Hill in Caroline County was built ca. 1842 as the country home of Falmouth merchant Basil Gordon. With its elaborately traceried entrance, precise Flemish-bond brickwork, and stone trimmings, the house displays unusually fine craftsmanship. The use of a double-pile Georgian plan and high hipped roof indicates the architectural conservatism of many of the area’s wealthier residents and their lack of concern about keeping up with styles in fashion elsewhere in the country. The house at Prospect Hill is located amid beautiful landscaped grounds on a high ridge overlooking the unspoiled rural scenery of the Rappahannock River valley.