Green Springs National Historic Landmark District

A 14,000-acre bowl of extremely fertile pastures and fields stands in contrast to the thin soil and scrub pine of the surrounding hills. The area was settled in 1722 and today still retains much of the agricultural feel of the mid-nineteenth century. The name comes from a spring near the center that became a spa in the late eighteenth century. In the early 1970s the area became the site of a major preservation battle as the state attempted to build a high-security prison, and other interests attempted to secure the land for strip mining of vermiculite for kitty litter. After a protracted battle, it became a National Historic Landmark. The area has a number of significant buildings, not visible from the road, such as Hawkwood (1851–1854, Alexander Jackson Davis).