 During his time in Missouri, Bates acquired nearly 1000 acres (4 km²) of land, which he called Thornhill.He had built a Federal-style home with high ceilings for summer ventilation, fine woodwork and a sophisticated floor plan; all this would have been familiar to Bates from his childhood home, Belmont, in Goochland County, Virginia.The Thornhill estate still exists today and can be viewed by the public.