Mulberry Hill, the new home of Kappa Alpha Order and the Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation, located on the western edge of Lexington, Virginia, is one of the town’s chief historic houses and forms a scenic backdrop for the Lexington Historic District and Washington and Lee University.
Mulberry Hill is a five-bay, two story brick dwelling with a four room, double-pile, central passage plan. Its interior woodwork is late Georgian in style with an ellaboration and sophistication that mark it as one of the great mansion houses of the region. It is scenically sited on a ridge and surrounded by almost eight acres of rolling lawns and trees. The house represents at least four different building periods that range from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.
One of “the great mansion houses” of the region, Mulberry Hill evolved from a 36’ by 37’ stone plantation house (circa 1795, Rev. William Graham) which was soon remodeled to a 36’ by 63’ brick story and a half manor house with a double pile Georgian core, containing some of the finest early wood paneling and decorative plaster in the area by Andrew Reid. The house was enlarged to a two-story gable roof design just prior to the Civil War by Col. Samuel McDowell Reid (Andrew’s son). Subsequent owners gave it today’s appearance, but without changing the orginal rooms, each of which contains a fireplace.
Rev. Graham was rector of Liberty Hall Academy, the predecessor of Washington and Lee University, for 20 years and led it through the difficult years of the American Revolution. In 1782 he donated part of his land to be a permanent site for Liberty Hall Academy, whose ruins still stand today, about 400 yards northwest of Mulberry Hill. Rev. Graham is buried on the W&L campus, adjacent to Lee Chapel.
Both Reids were active in local affairs, both being lawyers, clerk of the county court and planters, with large land holdings. In pre-Civil War Rockbridge County, tobacco was the most valuable crop. The Reids had gradually increased their holdings until in 1860 Samuel Reid’s fields produced nearly 20,000 pounds of tobacco. Samuel (1790-1869) had broader interests than his father Andrew. In addition to being a trustee of Washington College for 50 years and a founder of The Franklin Society, he was a colonel in the militia, and a long time supporter of improved transportation to support agricultural and iron exports. He was president of the local canal company, which opened the James River to regular service in 1852 and more than halved the transportation cost to Richmond. Both Reids are buried in the Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington.
Following the Reid family’s ownership, Mrs. Elinor Jackson Junkin Cox (later Latane) extensively remodeled Mulberry Hill in 1903, giving it most of its’ present appearance. Mrs. Cox was the grand-daughter of Rev. Geo. Junkin, president of Washington College (1848-1861) and was named for her aunt, T. J. Jackson’s first wife, Elinor Junkin. Remodeling was under the direction of local architect, W. C. McDowell.
From 1931 until the recent Kappa Alpha purchase, Mulberry Hill was owned by the Tyree/Grigsby family. Lewis Tyree, Sr. was professor of law from 1919 to 1927 and was responsible for constructing Mulberry Hill’s terraced walled garden. Many members of the Tyree and Grigsby families attended Washington and Lee.
Mulberry Hill is a Virginia Historic Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and is subject to a historic preservation easement to the State of Virginia.
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The Battle of Lexington June 11, 1864: This primitive painting by Lewis Tyree, Jr.(most recent owner of Mullberry Hill), was prepared using Bohn’s 1856 “aerial” view of Lexington and Champe’s 1912 diagram as to locations of the Union artillery, their targets and private homes burnt. The view of Lexington is to the west, with House and Hog Back Mountains in the background. You will notice Washington College in the lower center of the painting. Mullberry Hill is located nearer the center. Virginia Military Institute is seen in flames to the right of Washington College.
