Save the Justis House

Built in 1836, the historic home of a beloved Chesterfield County teacher is under imminent threat of demolition. A group of passionate volunteers are doing all they can to save it.

Virginia Justis’s 184-year-old home sits in the midst of 82 acres known as Turkey Run Farm. Near the intersection of Old Hundred Road and Otterdale Road in Midlothian, the property was sold at her death to the County. The house now sits adjacent to the newly constructed Old Hundred Elementary School, which consumed about 20 acres of the farm. Potentially slated for the construction of a middle school, the remaining acreage sits idle at present. The County, having no use for the historic house, made plans to have the building demolished.

Concerned citizens, including former students of Ms. Justis, banded together to seek an alternative. Chesterfield County is allowing the building to be moved from the property if the project is completed by the start of the next school year in September 2021. The Save the Justis House Committee and Preservation Virginia partnered to make sure we reach that goal.

We believe that by carefully dismantling this vital piece of Chesterfield’s architectural history and moving it to nearby Mid-Lothian Mines Park to become the centerpiece of a new Mid-Lothian History and Culture Museum, we can tell a vital story that informs our evolution as a society. Serving as a center for history education and research, the new museum could tell the story of the coal mines, the people who worked them and the community that grew up around them.

This is a Three Phase Project:

Phase I: Dismantle, protect, and store Turkey Run House

Phase II: Design and construct The Mid-Lothian Mines Park Museum using the reconstructed Turkey Run House as its centerpiece

Phase III: Design and install exhibits, and establish the Museum as a sustainable entity

Today, we need your help to have the house carefully dismantled and moved by the County’s September deadline. Please consider making a contribution online, or donations can be mailed to:

Preservation Virginia
204 W Franklin St
Richmond, VA 23220