Conjuring up images of the gingerbread house in Hansel and Gretel, this Gothic Revival cottage is unique in Danville and a rarity in much of the state. It was built in the mid-1850s, presumably by its first known resident—one of the town’s early and esteemed physicians—Dr. Thomas D. Stokes. Lancet-arched windows and teardrop bargeboard decoration ally it with the patternbook designs of such advocates of the Gothic style as Andrew Jackson Downing, the landscape architect, and his contemporaries.

Interior features evidence the Gothic flavor as well. The lancet design is apparent especially in the staircase with pointed arches which grace the paneling beneath the stairs and the balusters just under the handrail. 

Seven years ago, Anne Carter Lee Gravely, a resident of Rocky Mount, Virginia, purchased the house to preserve and restore its singular 
architectural character, inside and out. For the past year this dwelling has been home to Ms. Dorothy Nesbitt, whose interest in preservation is more than avocational; she directs the City’s Downtown renaissance as Danville participates in the National Main Street Program.