Tusculum: The Building

The building's history is as fascinating as its future. Built about 1750, Tusculum was home to the mother of Sweet Briar College's founder. Its name is derived from an Italian ruin and symbolizes the lifestyle of the rural elites in colonial America. In 2006 the College purchased Tusculum for removal to the campus. Heartland Restoration meticulously performed the deconstruction. When funds are available to reconstruct it, Tusculum will have a new home near antebellum Sweet Briar House, home to Sweet Briar College's president and originally a sister plantation to Tusculum. There it will become the home of the Tusculum Institute, dedicated to environmentally sustainable historic preservation and local history.

An impressive structure for the Virginia frontier, this remarkable home was built using a hand-crafted, timber frame structural system. The signs of its craftsmanship are remarkably intact, including hand-hewn logs, wooden pegs, and detailed interior moldings and wainscoting.

When reconstructed, a glass wall at the northern end of the house will showcase the original 18th-century construction techniques.