[4] The mansion at Fall Hill (pictured) is a Georgian two-story home with a central hall and two large rooms on either side.

Doric columns on the porches on the west front and south end were added in the 19th century.

During renovations, Greek Revival fireplace mantels were installed in the northwest and southwest rooms.

[5] The land on which Fall Hill was established is believed to have been included in a grant of 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) in Spotsylvania County patented by Francis Thornton I (1657–1727) around 1720.

[5] The present mansion at Fall Hill is believed to have been built by Francis Thornton V (1760–1836) probably around 1790 when he married Sally Innes.

[4][5] Its proximity to the Rappahannock River made Fall Hill a strategic point during the Fredericksburg Campaign of the Civil War.

[4] According to long-time resident, Butler Franklin, at one point Lee ordered the mansion destroyed by cannon fire so he could better see the approach of the Union Army across the river.

[5][9] To show her gratitude to Murray Taylor when he retired from his job at San Simeon in 1908, Mrs. Hearst purchased Fall Hill for $25,000 as a gift for him.

So the property that Fall Hill was built on, had been in possession of the Thornton family, for over 280 years.

Fall Hill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 1973.