Belle Grove

336 Belle Grove Road

Middletown, VA  22645

540-869-2028

Major Isaac Hite received a 484-acre tract of land when he married Nelly Madison (James Madison’s sister). They moved into “Old Hall” on the property in 1783 and began to plan their new house, Belle Grove. Named after the house owned by Nelly’s maternal grandparents on the Rappahannock River, it is a magnificent early 19th century house in the classical revival style. They completed their house in 1797; Nelly died five years later. With his second wife, Ann, Hite continued to expand his holdings. He operated one of the Valley’s most successful plantations in a time of unequalled agricultural prosperity in the Valley. Today the house can be seen across the fields from Route 11. A demonstration cutting garden contains a variety of historically authentic plants. Belle Grove is also a Civil War landscape. Given its location along the Valley Pike, the location proved key to both Federal and Confederate troops and the battle of Cedar Creek took place on its grounds.