The house sits on a hill toward the northern end of Mulberry Island, overlooking the James River.

It is frequently stated in popular histories of the area and on the Matthew Jones House roadside historical marker that the plantation was once known as "Bourbon".

Scervant's guardian, John Jones, embarked on improvements to the house which had probably been planned by Matthew before his death.

Two additions were made to the house at this time: a shed room at the back of the building and a two-story porch tower at the front.

Bricks with the inscription "Matthew Jones 1727," which had formerly been part of the kitchen, were placed on the façade at the base of the new second story.

The windows were replaced, and a second door was cut into the east wall of the house, which eventually led to a frame addition which was built sometime between 1893 and the 1910s.

In 1940, a project to measure and record the Matthew Jones House was undertaken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).

Members of the Fort Eustis Historical and Archaeological Association took notice and urged the Army to take steps to preserve it.

[13] In 1993, personnel from the National Park Service's Williamsport Preservation Training Center (WPTC), using funding provided by the Norfolk office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, undertook a project to halt the decline of the house.

[14] In order to facilitate the second objective, it was decided to leave the interior of the building in a state of "semi-ruin," with architectural elements exposed.