Point of Honor stands on a tract cleared from the wilderness where Monacan Indians once camped, and has been home to some of 19th century Virginia’s most remarkable citizens. Born in 1776, Dr. George Cabell, Sr. attended Hampden-Sydney Academy and completed his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a friend and physician to the patriot, Patrick Henry and a frequent correspondent with his neighbor, Thomas Jefferson.
Point of Honor passed from the Cabell family when Dr. Cabell’s son William Lewis Cabell and his bride Eliza Daniel Cabell both died in 1830. Her father, Judge William Daniel, Sr. inherited the mansion and left it to his son Judge William Daniel, Jr. in 1839. Judge Daniel, Jr. served on the Virginia Court of Appeals from 1846 through the end of the Civil War. His son was United States Senator John Warwick Daniel, the famous “Lame Lion” of Lynchburg. Judge Daniel, Jr.’s sister Elvira Daniel married pioneer American civil engineer and Civil War hero Charles Ellet, Jr. Their daughter, Mary Virginia married William D. Cabell and was a founding member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Point of Honor was the antebellum home of Col. John S. Langhorne whose daughter Elizabeth Langhorne Lewis led the fight for women’s suffrage. His granddaughters include Mrs. Charles Dana Gibson, the original “Gibson Girl” and Nancy, Lady Astor, the first woman elected to the British Parliament. Nancy Perkins Lancaster, the famed interior designer, was his great granddaughter.
During the Civil War, Point of Honor was the home of Robert Latham Owen, president of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, and his wife Narcissa Chisholm, daughter of the Cherokee Chief, Thomas Chisholm. Their son, Robert L. Owen, Jr., was Oklahoma’s first United States senator.
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The Mansion got its name after a duel, which in frontier days was a matter of honor, was fought on its grounds. After the duel, citizens referred to the site as a "Point of Honor." This historic marker stands near Rivermonts Drive and D Street, which is a short drive from Point of Honor. The text of the marker reads:
POINT OF HONOR
"Point of Honor stands half a mile to the northeast. Built for Dr. George Cabell Sr. in 1815, this refined Federal-style house is stylistically linked to dwellings in Richmond such as the Hancock-Wirt-Caskie House. According to local tradition, duels were fought on the property. Cabell owned the 750-acre plantation on which the house stands, as well as nearby tobacco warehouse. Point of Honor retains most of its original architectural features and after it restoration the house was opened to the public as a museum in 1977."