 
Front View of Hill Mansion
Photograph courtesy of Scenic America: Deborah L. Myerson
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The Hill Mansion is
a sophisticated example of the Italianate style, one of the several picturesque
modes popular in the 1850s. The house was completed in 1857 for Edward
Baptist Hill, member of a prominent Culpeper family. The front is sheltered
by an arcaded veranda, a device advocated for southern houses in this
period. Other noteworthy features are the scored stucco, the elaborate
porches, both cast-iron and wood, as well as interior appointments, including
a broad curving stair. The house served as a Confederate hospital and
was visited both by Lieutenant General A. P. Hill, a brother of the builder, and Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose wounded son, Brig.
Gen. W. H. F. ("Rooney") Lee, was nursed there. Later in the war it was
used as headquarters for Union officers who permitted the Hill family
to occupy two rooms.
Hill Mansion is located at 501 East St., in Culpeper. It is a private
residence and is not open to the public. It can be viewed externally
on one of the Culpeper Historic District's walking
tours.
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