Essentials:
- Birthplace and boyhood home of Confederate cavalry commander J.E.B. Stuart
- Located in Ararat, Virginia (Franklin County), near the North Carolina line
- House built c. 1825-1830
- Stuart lived on the property from his birth on February 6, 1833, until 1845
Laurel Hill
Laurel Hill was the home of James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart, a major general in the Confederate army and cavalry commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Archibald and Elizabeth Stuart completed the construction of the house in 1830. Jeb Stuart was born on February 6, 1833, at Laurel Hill and lived there with his parents for the next twelve years, until he moved to Wytheville to attend school and work for his brother William Alexander Stuart. The house on the Stuart property burned in 1847-1848, but Jeb’s father and his brother John Dabney remained on the property until 1855, when Archibald died and was buried at Laurel Hill. Laurel Hill passed out of the family in 1859 when Jeb’s mother sold all 1,500 acres to two men from Mount Airy, North Carolina.
Finding Laurel Hill
1091 Ararat Highway
Ararat, Virginia 24053
From I-81 S, take Exit 81 for I-77 S toward Charlotte, NC. Continue on I-77 S for 23.1 miles to Exit 8 for VA-775/VA-148 toward Fancy Gap. Turn Left onto VA-775/VA-148 E and continue for 0.9 miles. Then turn right onto US-52 S and continue for 12.1 miles, entering into North Carolina, and turn left onto US-52 Business S. After 1.3 miles, turn left onto Grace St and then remain on Grace St. when it turns into Old Springs Rd., continuing for 1.2 miles. Turn left onto NC-104 N/Riverside Dr., which will become VA-773, and Laurel Hill will be on the right after 4.6 miles.
The house no longer stands, but the property has been preserved and is open daily for self-guided tours.
For More Information
Thomas David Perry, J.E.B. Stuart’s Birthplace: The History of the Laurel Hill Farm (Ararat, VA: Laurel Hill Publishing, 2008).