North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Lee Hall

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

1. Lee Hall Marker

Inscription. Lee Hall, a stately Italianate plantation dwelling, was built by 1859 for affluent planter Richard Decatur Lee. Confederate generals John Bankhead Magruder and Joseph Eggleston Johnston used the mansion as their headquarters during the April – May 1862 Warwick-Yorktown siege phase of the Peninsula Campaign. An earthen fort in the yard used to launch a Confederate hot-air balloon on 17 Apr. 1862 remains from the military occupation. A brief skirmish was fought here on 4 May 1862 during the Confederate retreat to Williamsburg. After the war, Lee strove to revitalize his farm but went bankrupt in 1870 and was foreclosed the next year.

Erected 2001 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-54.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Notable Places • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.

Location. 37° 12.053′ N, 76° 34.421′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. It is on Yorktown Road (Virginia

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Route 238), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 163 Yorktown Road, Newport News VA 23603, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Lee Hall (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); An Earthwork In Front (about 600 feet away); Master and Slaves (about 600 feet away); Largest and Most Valuable Estate in the County (about 600 feet away); Homestead by the Main Road (about

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

2. Lee Hall Marker

800 feet away); A Large Brick Kitchen (about 800 feet away); Chessie System Caboose (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Lee Hall (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Other markers no longer nearby. Lee Hall (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); An Earthwork in Front (was about 600 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . .
1. Lee Hall Mansion. (Submitted on August 14, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. The Peninsula Campaign. (Submitted on August 14, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
3. Lee Hall. (PDF) National Register documentation for the plantation. (Submitted on August 15, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Lee Hall Mansion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

3. Lee Hall Mansion

This mansion is the only large, mid-19th century plantation house remaining on Virginia's lower peninsula.

Back of Lee Hall Mansion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

4. Back of Lee Hall Mansion

A small skirmish was fought near Lee Hall between retreating Confederates and Union cavalry on May 4, 1862. The site of Lee Hall remained under Union control until the end of the war.

Earthworks in Front of the Mansion image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2008

5. Earthworks in Front of the Mansion

A Confederate hot-air balloon was launched from these earthworks on April 17, 1862. They are located in front of Lee Hall Mansion.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,183 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 14, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.