Abandoned Dunnington Mansion

From the looks of it, the Dunnington Mansion was left to waste decades or even a century ago. But this handsome manor only ceased to be someone's cared-for residence in the year 2000, and its neglect was completely against the wishes of its former owner.

The Dunnington Mansion's roots stretch back to 1748, when Richard Woodson was granted over 1,000 acres of land outside of present-day Farmville, Virginia. He constructed a four-room wooden house, which was passed down through the family for 112 years before coming under the possession of Confederate Captain John H. Knight, Jr. Although the house received a few additions under previous occupants, it was Knight's tobacco baron son-in-law, Walter Dunnington, who transformed the abode into a mansion starting in the 1890s.

It was Dunnington who gave the house an opulent, Romanesque Revival front entrance with a trademark Victorian tower. Dunnington also oversaw the construction of a conservatory, a home addition with glass walls, which was in vogue at the time. As a status symbol, the Dunningtons kept a lemon tree inside the conservatory. After Walter passed, the home went to his wife, India, who lived there until her death in 1960. The estate then went to the local Bolt family, who modernized the building and turned the property into a farm.

The Bolts sold the house to investors, who promised to make the mansion the clubhouse and focal point of a golf club. Unfortunately, funds to repurpose the home dried up, and the mansion was left empty as a golf course was developed around it. Since then, the house has traded ownership several times and has quickly begun to fall into a state of disrepair.

The Dunnington Mansion Foundation was formed in 2021 to document and preserve the home. It has since started rehabilitation efforts to prevent this splendid home from being lost to history.