The imposing two-story, five-bedroom Greek Revival mansion of the Clarkton estate stands atop a promontory near the Staunton River in rural Halifax County. Built for Charles Clark between 1844 and 1848 by Dabney Cosby and Dabney Cosby, Jr., Clarkton’s brick exterior is rough coated and scored to simulate granite or marble blocks, and features a monumental two-story Doric portico with paired columns.  The house represents one of the finest examples of the Cosbys’ Greek Revival style of architecture in Halifax County. Originally known as Rosebank, and later as Hoveloak (an Indian name for “high promontory”), Charles Clark’s son, Thomas, renamed the estate Clarkton around the turn of the 20th century. At its peak, Clarkton included over 6,000 acres.  Directly in front of the house is an alley of large English boxwoods extending from the portico to an iron-gated entrance. The grounds include additional rows of Osage Orange trees, American Holly trees, and oak trees, as well as a grouping of mid-19th-century dependencies behind and flanking the main house, which are significant for both their age, historic functions, and architectural interest.