Perched on a hill above Smith Mountain Lake, two large stone chimneys are all that remain of the Gwin Dudley Home Site, one of the best-known historic sites in Franklin County. Gwin Dudley was rewarded with a land grant for service and loyalty to the United States during the Revolutionary War and settled in central Franklin County where he prospered as a farmer. The south chimney is marked with a highly distinctive stone tablet inscribed by its builder Gwin Dudley in 1795. Above and below the tablet are built-in arches that are both functional and decorative. This type of chimney construction appears to be unique in the region.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia