Dr. Richard Thornton House

The Dr. Richard Thornton House was constructed circa 1818 by a wealthy local physician, Richard Thornton. Thornton was born in 1786 to Lt. Francis Thornton of 'Rolling Hill' in Charlotte County, Virginia.[2] By 1810 Thornton had established a medical practice and farm in Halifax County, Virginia. Thornton began construction of the current residence in 1818 with no known significant alterations made to the main house during his lifetime.[3] The house is noted for a peculiar internal division believed to have been created to provide lodging for medical students.[3] By Thornton's death in 1860, the property held nearly 40 slaves and produced the largest quantity of tobacco in the local area. The property was taken over by his nephew Dr. John Lemuel Thornton, and the Thornton heirs sold the property to the Marshall family in 1889. The house remained in the Marshall family until 1983.[3] In 1984 the house and land was sold to the Smith family who hold the land today in a private corporation. The house has been abandoned since the Marshall sale and has recently been secured for protection from vandals.