The house was built in the 1790s for James Wall, and has been home to the Wall, Land and Briggs families. During the Civil War, the front parlor of the house served as the site of a council of war for Generals W.H.F. Lee, Wade Hampton and Matthew Butler. In the late 19th century, rooms in the house, as well as dependencies, served as a doctor’s office, a dentist’s office, an apothecary and a boys academy. Today the restored house, with its collection of historic furnishings, reflects the rural family life of Southside Virginia in the 1830s. The numerous original features — including the distinctive fanlight over the front entrance, the handcarved mantels, decorative molding, hardwood floors and massive hand-hewn beams — offer a glimpse of the elegance and durable vitality of the plantation.