John and Billings Cay, preservationists based in Savannah, Georgia, have completed an extensive restoration of Rose Hill, a circa-1800 Federal-style estate located near Fredericksburg, Virginia. The property, which the Cays purchased in 2008 for $1.3 million, had fallen into significant disrepair, with overgrown gardens and deteriorating structures.

The estate was originally built around 1800 by merchant John Hipkins, who passed it on to his grandson John Hipkins Bernard. After returning from Europe in 1818, Bernard expanded the home, adding a library wing, an office wing, an octagonal music room, and a colonnade. The estate functioned as a working farm, operated using enslaved labor, managing crops and livestock. It also saw troop movements by both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War, which contributed to the property’s poor condition in the post-war years.

The Hipkins family maintained ownership until 1958, when they sold the property. The following year, a fire devastated much of the house, leaving only foundations, chimneys, and parts of the walls intact. The estate was later repurchased and restored by Frances Bernard Patton, a direct descendant of Hipkins. With support from a government stipend and timber sales from the land, the Pattons rebuilt the original structure and rehabilitated the damaged wings, while recovering many original furnishings and family portraits. Frances died in 1981, and her husband James managed the gardens until his death in 2007.

Upon acquiring the estate, the Cays began a $10 million restoration, relying on a variety of sources including builder invoices, family diaries, historical reports, reconstruction drawings, and hundreds of historic photographs to guide their work. In addition to architectural restoration, John and Billings integrated historical elements, such as adding a dovecote inspired by an unbuilt design by Thomas Jefferson, in reference to Bernard's original European bird collections on the property.

John Cay, who retired from his family’s insurance business in 2024 and transitioned to real estate development, described the restoration as far more ambitious than initially anticipated. The couple uses the estate seasonally in the spring and fall but has decided to sell in order to spend more time with family in Savannah, especially as John’s last grandchild has graduated from a nearby high school.

Listing agent Charlotte Rouse of Coldwell Banker Elite noted that historic homes like Rose Hill appeal to a specific segment of buyers. While they do not necessarily carry higher price tags than newer properties, well-restored historic homes often command a premium. The Cays, the third family to own the estate, highlighted the personal value of stewardship and preserving history for future generations as a cornerstone of their ownership experience.