| Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial | |
|---|---|
 Red Hill, 2016 | |
  Map of theUnited States | |
| Location | Charlotte County,Virginia,United States |
| Nearest city | Lynchburg, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°1′56″N78°53′53″W / 37.03222°N 78.89806°W /37.03222; -78.89806 |
| Area | 1,000 acres (4.046 km2) |
| Designation | U.S. National Memorial |
| Authorized | 99th U.S. Congress |
| Governing body | Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation |
| Website | Red Hill |
Red Hill | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Lynchburg, Virginia |
| Area | 1,000 acres (400 ha) |
| Architect | Stanhope Johnson |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| Restored | 1950s and 1960s |
| Restored by | Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation |
| Website | Red Hill |
| NRHP reference No. | 78003012[1] |
| VLR No. | 019-0027 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 14, 1978 |
| Designated VLR | September 18, 1973[2] |
Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial, also known asPatrick Henry's Red Hill, inCharlotte County, Virginia, near theTown of Brookneal, is the final home and burial place ofFounding FatherPatrick Henry, legislator andorator of theAmerican Revolution. Henry bought Red Hill Plantation at his retirement in 1794 and occupied it with his wife,Dorothea, and their children until 1799, the year of his death. In addition to themain house, Henry used another building as his law office. There were also dependencies and slave quarters on the working 2,930-acretobacco plantation.[3] Theplantation was located on theStaunton River for transportation.
Congress authorized the establishment of a Patrick Henry National Monument on August 15, 1935 (49 Stat. 652) pending the acquisition of the property by the Secretary of the Interior.[4] The purchase never occurred, and the enabling legislation was repealed on December 21, 1944 (58 Stat. 852).[5]
The site was taken over by the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, established in 1944,[6] which in the 1950s and 1960s restored Henry's law office and preserved his grave onsite. It also reconstructed his last home and several dependencies. A new museum was built to provide for interpretation of his life and place in 1976.
Red Hill Plantation was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places on February 14, 1978. Thenational memorial was authorized by theUnited States Congress on May 12, 1986 (100 Stat. 429).[7] Owned by the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, Red Hill is operated as ahouse museum and is an affiliated area of theNational Park Service, meaning that the Foundation can request certain assistance from the NPS in preserving and interpreting the site.
Planning in the 2000s for the site included a master plan to guide improvements. The first project, supported by 2006 grant money, made improvements and additions of walking trails to help visitors understand transportation and plantation agriculture. It related the site to 18th century bateaux trade and transportation along the river, its ferry site, and the later addition of a 19th-century "railroadflag stop."
In 2018, the Foundation acquired a stretch of land known as the "Quarter Place" which housed the enslaved and later free Black populations at Red Hill. The Quarter Place is home to one of the largest intact cemeteries for the enslaved in Virginia, holding the remains of 147 persons.[8]
Currently, the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation cares for about 1,000 acres of Henry's original land.[3]
Red Hill houses the largest collection of Patrick Henry artifacts in the United States, including documents, furniture, personal items, and decorative arts.[9] In total, the museum houses approximately 3,000 objects related to Patrick Henry and the history of Red Hill.
The centerpiece of the collection isPeter F. Rothermel's landmark painting,Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House of Burgesses, painted in 1851. The painting was donated to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation in 1959 and is on display in a permanent exhibition.[10] Other important artifacts include thepaper cutter held by Henry while delivering his "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech, and the last letter Henry wrote.[11]
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