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Page 14 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
For well over a hundred years if one traveled on Viewtown Road south of Amissville it was nearly impossible to miss an imposing landmark. Located on a prominent ridge and set back on the west side of the road by perhaps V4 mile sat an immense, multi-gabled house. Confederate veteran Col. John Shackelford Green built the structure. Abandoned for many years, it was sad indeed in the past 20 years to watch this impressive home, originally named “Forest Hill”, slowly, yet inexorably, decay and collapse.
Somehow, “Forest Hill” seemed to deserve a better fate for, in addition to its size and architectural interest, it was for a time home to Henry Spillman who might be considered the ‘father’ of the area’s identity. Spillman bought J.S. Green’s farm, which included “Forest Hill” in the 1880s and about 1890 constructed a roadside store along what is now VA State Route 642. In addition to the store, Spillman also built a number of houses and a blacksmith shop, in the process creating the village of Viewtown. The original store burned in the early 1900s and was rebuilt; however a number of other ‘Spillman’ structures remain to this day.
As with many rural general stores, Spillman’s enterprise became a focal point for the surrounding countryside, a shopping'center of sorts for
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