3 Best Landmarks in Newport News, VA

"Lee Hall Mansion is a historic brick plantation house built between 1848 and 1859. This Italianate residence was constructed by the prominent planter Richard Decatur Lee for his family. Located on Virginia's Lower Peninsula, the mansion is an architectural gem that has been restored and decorated to reflect its pre-war splendor. Visitors can step back in time to the mid-Victorian period, experiencing authentically furnished rooms, including a beautiful ladies' parlor. The mansion offers access to the Peninsula Campaign Gallery and provides guided tours of the historic house. With its natural and commanding view of the countryside, the mansion was used as headquarters by Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and John B. Magruder during the American Civil War in 1862. Lee Hall Mansion offers free parking, a gift shop, and wheelchair access.

"Newsome House Museum & Cultural Center is the residence of prominent African-American attorney J. Thomas Newsome and his wife, Mary Winfield Newsome. Built in 1898, the home is a 2½-story, seven-bay, asymmetrical frame Queen Anne-style dwelling. The house features a steeply pitched, irregularly composed roof, a three-sided bay, front Palladian windows, and a corner tower. Newsome House Museum & Cultural Center has been restored and is now open to the public as a museum, featuring exhibits on African-American art, history, and culture. The museum also organizes special events and community functions for residents.

"Matthew Jones House is located on a hill toward the northern end of Mulberry Island, overlooking the James River. Built in 1725 as a one-and-a-half-story frame dwelling with brick chimneys, the house later underwent two major renovations. It was preserved and rehabilitated by the National Park Service in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The house design emulates that of small English mansion houses from the previous century. A Virginia Historic Landmark and a Historic American Building, the house serves as an architectural museum, showcasing three historical periods. It features 90 architectural characteristics, each labeled as a teaching point. The mansion was restored by the US National Park Service's Williamsport (MD) Training Center, under the direction of the US Army Corps of Engineers. The collections also highlight the story of Mulberry Island.