Springdale was built in 1812 near Lexington, originally as a three-part, temple-wing-plan house, by Colonel John Jordan for Alexander Trimble and his wife Martha Grigsby, of the prominent Rockbridge County Grigsby family. Jordan, a well-known local entrepreneur and builder, had been heavily influenced through his work with Thomas Jefferson as a brickmason at Monticello. Springdale features a central front gable containing a stucco lunette at its center. On the interior are elegant Federal-style mantels and paneled wainscoting. In the early 20th century, the original one-story wings were raised one-half story, two-story back porches were added, the front porch was rebuilt, and a kitchen was added. The property, alternately known as Holly Hill, is related historically to several other Rockbridge County houses built for the Grigsby family, including Hickory Hill, Fancy Hill, and Cherry Hill. Springdale’s plan, however, is unusual among the other Grigsby houses, and it is the only known connection of the Grigsbys with Colonel Jordan.
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