Poplar Lawn Historic District

In 1783, Robert Bolling's land which lay between the towns of Petersburg and Blandford was subdivided into lots and became the neighborhood of choice for many of the city's most prosperous merchants. About 1809 the development extended to the south, and a large plot was given over to be a park, Poplar Lawn. Early in the 19th century, a race course, a tavern, a dining hall, banquet and bath houses, and a ballroom were located here. Volunteers in both the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War drilled and camped here. Some of the town's grandest Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival mansions were built surrounding the park, which became known as Poplar Lawn Park. The area was developed so extensively during the second half of the 19th century, that it became one of the premier Victorian communities of post-bellum Virginia.