FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: February 28, 2013 Media Contact: Rebecca Cutchins Media Relations Manager 757-926-1429 or 888-493-7386 [email protected]

Lee Hall Mansion and Endview Plantation added to “Year of the Historic Home” website

Newport News, VA – and Endview Plantation were recently added to the Year of the Historic Home website which features information on and an interactive map of ’s historic houses.

The website was launched in December after the governor designated 2013 as the Year of the Historic Home to increase awareness of the many historic houses in Virginia – and to commemorate the 200th birthday of Virginia’s Executive Mansion

Virginia has more than 100 historic properties that span from pre-Colonial times through the modern era, all of which provide an abundance of cultural, historical and architectural information about the state. Most of these homes are open to the public as museums and historic sites.

In addition to the houses listed, the website includes a program called “Virginia Time Travelers: Historic Homes Edition.” This fun, interactive project encourages students and families to achieve the status of “Master Traveler” by downloading a passport from the website, visiting eight participating homes in Virginia, and mailing the completed passport to the Executive Mansion. All “Master Travelers” will then be recognized on the website, receive a certificate signed by the governor, and be entered to win additional prizes.

According to the governor’s office, highlighting the educational value of these homes and promoting visitation to them are keys to ensuring their vitality and promoting their value as Virginia cultural assets.

Endview Plantation, completed in 1769, was used briefly as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War. After the , Union forces at various times occupied Endview until the end of the war. Endview has been restored and furnished to reflect both Union and Confederate use. One room has been interpreted as a Confederate hospital room while a second depicts Endview under Union occupation. The parlor and family bedroom have also been

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restored to their wartime appearance. Endview Plantation is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lee Hall Mansion, built between 1851 and 1859, is the only mid-19th century Italianate structure remaining on the lower peninsula of Virginia. Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Lee Hall offers visitors a step back to the mid-Victorian period with its authentically furnished rooms. A formal dining room, music room, ladies' parlor and two bedrooms have been restored, as has the gentlemen's parlor, which was used as a headquarters room by two Confederate generals. An exhibit gallery features artifacts from the Peninsula Campaign, including a tablecloth from the USS Monitor and items recovered from the nearby Dam No. 1 battlefield.

For more information about Endview Plantation and/or Lee Hall Mansion, contact Colin Romanick, marketing coordinator with the city’s division of museums & historic services, at 757-247-8523.

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Newport News Tourism Development Office Fountain Plaza Two 700 Town Center Drive Suite 320 Newport News, VA 23606 757-926-1400 Toll Free 888-493-7386 Fax 757-926-1441 www.newport-news.org