In 1837 the Reverend Horatio Thompson took ownership of the Timber Ridge, Va farm where Church Hill sits. 11 years later “Church Hill” was built and occupied by Horatio Davenport Thompson and his family, a minister of the nearby Timber Ridge Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church. The property was formerly owned by the pioneering Houston Family who acquired title of the land in 1742 as part of the Borden Land Grant. In a log dwelling, that was moved to make way for the present home, Sam Houston, the Texas legend was born in 1793. It is believed that some of the logs from the Sam Houston birthplace were incorporated into the bank barn that still remains on the property today. In 2001 Church Hill was used for several scenes of the Warner Bros. film “Gods & Generals”. Today the property is in the hands of the 6th generation of Thompson’s that have called “Church Hill” their home. Church Hill is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and the Virginia Historic Landmark Registry.
Siblings Melinda & Mikel Thompson, the sixth generation of Thompson’s to care for Church Hill.