[1] The house was built in 1824 by Turner Saunders, a Methodist minister and planter originally from Brunswick County, Virginia.

[3] The house is built in a provincial interpretation of a Palladian three-part plan, possibly influenced by the Jeffersonian architecture of Saunders' native Virginia.

[2][4] The cramped proximity of the three front triangular pediments betray the vernacular nature of the composition, although the remainder is well-proportioned.

[2] The front door is noteworthy in that it features two engaged Tuscan columns supporting a molded cornice.

Turner Saunder's son, James, built a large Italianate house at Rocky Hill Castle.