Miss Lizzie's House

Open Saturday Only

The house fondly referred to as Miss Lizzie’s house, which sits in downtown Petersburg, was built in 1854 and originally included 47 acres of land with it. Dr. Thomas Jefferson Grove and his wife built the home and his office sat next to it. This building still stands today. At the time, the upstairs housed the stable boys and the lower level was Dr. Grove’s office.

The first Dr. Grove and his wife had one son, John, who was also a Dr. He served in WWI. He had four children and his son, also named John, also was a Dr. The Grove doctors served the community for 106 years. The house retains all three of the doctor’s medical diplomas.

The house’s most well-known resident was Miss Lizzie. Many people in town still refer to the home as “Miss Lizzie’s House”. After Miss Lizzie, John VanMeter inherited the house through his great grandmother who was a Grove. Until the house was purchased by Dr. Bennett in 2017, the house had stayed in the Grove family since it was built.

The well-constructed home boasts high ceilings, original wood floors in the upstairs, and 8 fireplaces. All the glass in the house has been replaced and the stairwell was replaced in the 1920’s-30’s. The current owner remodeled the home in 2017 and turned it into an Optometrist clinic. A quite fitting role for a house that saw three generations of physicians live there.

Open Courtesy of Dr. Cheryl Bennett
Directions: 28 Virginia Ave, Petersburg