Violet Bank
Posted by: 
archway
N 37° 14.502 W 077° 24.323
18S E 286640 N 4124396
Violet Bank served as headquarters for Gen. Robert E. Lee in the latter part of 1864. The proximity to rail transportation provided easy access to Petersburg and Richmond.
Waymark Code: WM7V6Y
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 12/05/2009
Views: 9
The text of the marker reads as follows:
"The present building was built around 1815 as it is the domestic architecture of the federal period. There are two theories concerning the origin of the name "Violet Bank". (1) Because of the thousands of violets that covered the hillside. (2) An illusion to the quotation from "Midsummer's Night's Dream - 'the bank where the violets grow'". Thomas Shore, the owner, was a reader of Shakespeare and had a multi-volume set of the poet's works in his library."
A separate marker on-site also has details regarding the house:
"This is the second house located on this site. Thomas Shore constructed the first house here in 1778; it burned in 1810. The present house, which Shore's widow completed in 1815, resembles Richmond houses designed or influenced by noted architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, as well as Alexander Parris, a New Englander who designed the Governor's Mansion in Richmond. Violet Bank is noteworthy for its refined architectural features, including the three-part bays, intricate woodwork, and elaborate plaster ornamentation The house served as the home of the Colonial Heights Post No. 284 of the American Legion from 1948 until 1959. It is now operated as a house museum."
Marker Number: none
Marker Title: Violet Bank
Marker Location: 303 Virginia Ave, Colonial Heights, VA
County or Independent City: Colonial Heights
Marker Program Sponsor: National Register of Historic Places
Web Site: Not listed
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