Her father Chiswell Langhorne's finances were decimated by the American Civil War, but he later made a fortune in the tobacco business and railroads and was able to purchase Mirador.

[1] Mirador is surrounded by extensive landscaped grounds that include a sunken lawn and a walk bordered by serpentine brick walls.

The building features a wood-shingled gable roof, a granite foundation and interior chimney, a front porch on skinned cedar log posts, and six-over-six windows.

Other interior features include exposed log walls, batten doors on strap hinges, hewn ceiling joists, and pegged floor boards.

This was while he was practicing law in Albemarle County and surrounding areas and traveling frequently to Staunton, located over the Blue Ridge.