Langhorne House

117 Broad St, Danville, VA 24541, United States

Langhorne House, also known as the Gwynn Apartments, is an historic late 19th-century house in Danville, Virginia later enlarged and used as an apartment house. Its period of significance was in 1922, when Nancy Langhorne Astor came to Danville to visit the native place and foster Anglo-American relations, which was then called Lady Astor and the first woman to sit in the British parliament. The original dwelling was built in 1874 as a one-story, central-passage plan structure with a rear ell. It was extended in 1878 to include a second story and a porch in Italian style. In 1921, the house was moved to the next property and extended and converted into four apartments. The house was added to a three-story building built on its original premises. The facade on the front is a two-story porch with fluted Doric columns and multiple entries. It was rebuilt in 1992, when Lady Astor spoke to 5,000 people from the second-floor balcony of the house in 1922. Named after Chiswell Langhorne, the Civil War veteran and business magnate, the house was the birthplace of his many daughters and his wife, which were known all for their beauty. As a young woman, Nancy Langhorne moved to England, married Waldorf Astor, and in 1919 gained his former seat at the British Parliament. In 1922, she returned to Virginia to visit her birthplace and to foster ties between the major allies. Her visit to Danville has been covered nationally in the USA and is important in local history.  Their father, Chiswell Langhorne, worked in the Danville tobacco industry and has created the chant of tobacco auctioneers in the popular Danville auction of tobacco leaves. The corner of Broad and Main Streets is an historic marker. The Museum of Langhorne House is open on Saturdays from 14:00 to 17:00, or upon request. The house was listed on the National Historic Places Register in 2006. Located in the Danville Historical District, it is owned by the Lady Astor Preservation Trust and open to the public on Saturday afternoons or at request.

This amazing museum is located near the following museums in Danville, California:
 

• Blackhawk Museum
• Veterans Memorial Building of San Ramon Valley
• Museum of the San Ramon Valley
• The Spirit Of The Old West
• Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History
• Danville Science Center
• AAF Tank Museum
• Langhorne House
• Schoolfield Museum

All of these wonderful museums are located just a short distance from our location on Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Robert Arnone CPA.

Previous Article

Home

Next Article