Octonia Highlands is a model conservation development, offering estate-sized building lots and green homes, sited on 55 acres in the scenic South River Valley area bordering the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia. This development offers the unique opportunity for a select few families to build homes on twenty-two lots of two to four acres in the highly sought after South River area where to date over 2000 acres have been protected. As a result of the efforts of the South River Land preservation Group and its supporters, this protected land preserves in perpetuity the stunning views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the rural country side. Photographs of scenes from Octonia Highlands as well as the lot layout and more information on the development is available at www.octoniahighlands.com. In keeping with its conservation interests, the South River Land Preservation Group is very pleased to offer a custom-built certified green home option for its Octonia Highlands development (see Going green).

 Octonia Highlands derives its name from the historic Octonia Grant, a land grant of 24,000 acres by the British Crown, King George III, to Alexander Spotswood of Virginia. Lt. Governor Spotswood in turn granted the land to the Octonia Company composed of eight prominent Virginia families and the grant became know thereafter as the “Octonia” grant. The land extended along the south bank of the Rapidan from Laurel Run, just north of the Town of Orange, to Stanardsville in present day Greene County. This land forms the heart of today’s Greene County. The northwest corner of the grant is marked by a large bolder, know as the Octonia Stone, with its pre-Revolutionary war symbol etched on its surface still visible today. The Octonia Stone is located across Octonia Road about a half mile from the entrance to the Parrot Farm which was the parent tract for Octonia Highlands.

Among the eight Virginians receiving a grant were William Stanard, Captain Harry Beverly, Bartholomew Yates, and Jeremiah Clowder. All of whom are thought to have accompanied Spotswood in 1716 on his trek over the Blue Ridge which passed through the land that was to become the Octonia Grant. The roads in Octonia Highlands are named after some of these Virginians which originally received a grant.

The town of Stanardsville, incorporated on December 19, 1794, was part of a 6,000 acre parcel of the original Octonia Grant which was passed down to William Stanard, the grandson of one of the original grant recipients and his name sake, William Stanard. The junior William Stanard actually received the land from his great uncle Robert Beverly, the son of Captain Harry Beverly, also one of the original grant recipients.

Octonia Highlands is a carefully designed residential development which is respectful of this rich history. as noted, it is situated in an area of hundreds of acres of open land protected by conservation easements which will preserve the truly unique and beautiful nature of the surrounding land which Spotswood was so awed by on his 1716 trek through the area and over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Click photo to view slide show of Octonia Highlands photos

To view a slide show of photographs from Octonia Highlands click on the view of Blue Ridge to the left.