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Lynchburg, which
Thomas Jefferson described as
"the most interesting spot in
the state and the most
entitled to general patronage
for its industry, enterprise
and correct course," has two
important hills that bring in
focus a great deal of its
fascinating past. The first,
a residential area known as
Daniel's Hill, gets its name
from Judge William Daniel,
Jr., who inherited the
property in 1839. Its
handsome Federal-style
mansion, situated on 737 acres
overlooking the James River
basin, was built by Dr. George
Cabell, Sr., in 1815.
Dr. Cabell (you'll find a
street named for him) called
his place Point of Honor
because he is said to have
built his house on a dueling
ground. He treated his most
illustrious patient, Patrick
Henry, with mercury---a remedy
that neither cured nor
comforted the patient. Dr.
Cabell lost his life in 1823
from an injury sustained in a
riding fall. His legacy, Point
of Honor, remains.
Point of Honor was home to a
number of prominent Lynchburg
families after Judge Daniel
lived there. Just before the
War Between the States the
mansion grounds were developed
as a residential community. A
five-block walk down Cabell
Street includes ten points of
interest, but Point of Honor
is the neighborhood's most
significant spot.
Picture a two-story house with
long porches across the front
on both the first and second
floors. Point of Honor is not
boxy but many-angled, so the
porches meet octagonal bays
not right angles. The
polygonal rooms in these bays
are light and airy because
each has three large windows.
You might think to look at
Point of Honor that there is
an architectural link with
Thomas Jefferson's Poplar
Forest that was being built at
the same time just outside of
Lynchburg. But although
Jefferson and Cabell were
friends there is no indication
that Jefferson had any input
in the design of Point of
Honor.
Interior design touches to note
include the wallpaper in the
parlor, a copy of the 1814
original called "Monuments of
Paris." The downstairs, or
best, bedroom has an exact
duplicate of the original bed
hangings on the four-poster bed.
The house and gardens can be
toured 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. daily.
A small admission is charged.
Lynchburg's second major hill
was once owned by the city's
founder, John Lynch. He sold
the property to the city in 1805
for one dollar and the city
built a courthouse on the site
in 1814. Although the structure
you see today is called the Old
Court House, it is actually the
second courthouse on the site,
dating from 1855. Its design is
based on the Parthenon and the
stucco over the brick facade was
scored to give it the look of
sandstone.
Inside the Old Court House is
the Lynchburg Museum.
Its exhibits trace the
development of Lynchburg from
its early days as a hub of
eastern markets and western
mountain goods. The re-created
1855 Hustings courtroom
represents the time when
aldermen were elected to preside
over and judge legal cases. The
museum is open from 1:00 to 4:00
P.M. daily. There is a small
admission charge.
If you take the Courthouse Hill
walking tour, you will see 14
points of interest in all. One
of them, Monument Terrace, is
just across Court Street. You
needn't climb the 135 steps of
Monument Terrace in order to
appreciate this city landmark.
At the top of the terrace is a
Confederate memorial and at the
foot, a statue of a World War I
soldier. The walking tour also
takes you past four churches, a
mere sampling of the city's
total of 126 churches. It is no
wonder that Lynchburg is often
referred to as the city of
churches.
Directions: From I-95 in the
Richmond area take I-64 west to
Charlottesville and then Route
29 south to Lynchburg. In
Lynchburg continue on Route 29
Alternate. Proceed to Main
Street and turn right onto
Rivermont Avenue. Turn right
again onto D Street and follow
the signs to Point of Honor,
located at Cabell and A
streets. For the Lynchburg
Museum take Cabell Street to the
intersection with Rivermont
Avenue and turn left on
Rivermont. Take Rivermont to
5th Street and make a right, go
one block to Court Street and
turn left. The museum is at 9th
and Court streets.
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