Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF SHE INTERIOR (3s~.1968) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM -----------·---~----------------- ,, (Clleelt 9ne) Excellent 0 Good O Fair D Oelerioroled 0 Ruins lxJ Unexposed 0 (Cheek One) (Check One) GillT Y Altered G9 Unaltered D Moved D Original Site ~ CRISE THE PRESl;.NT ANO ORIGINAL (II known) PHYSICAi.. APPEARANCE Until it burned on Christmas day, 1884, James Barbour's house at Barboursvil e stood essentially as completed circa 1822 from designs by Thomas Jefferson. Only two one-story side porches appear to have been later additions. Though large in scale, the house contained only eight principal rooms, the hall, drawing room, and dining room being two-story chambers •.The entrance facade featured a projecting Roman Doric tetrastyle portico which covered the reces ed front wall of the entrance hall. On the garden front the walls of the octagonal drawing room projected into a similar portico, as at Monticello. The octagonal dome which Jefferson proposed in his drawing was omitted during construction; it is uncertain whether the Chinese lattice railing whi h appeared in Jefferson's drawing around the base of the roof was ever install d. Although the dining room had no chamber over it, Jefferson indicated a false window on the second floor level in order to keep the garden front symmetrical. This feature was omitted and consequently gave that side of the house an unbalanced appearance. Unfortunately, there is little V, evidence as to the appearance of the original interior architectural trim. m One might assume that the two-story rooms were crowned by full entablatures m as at Monticello. During the fire of 1884 everything except the exterior brick walls, the z interior masonry partitions, and the columns of the porticoes perished. V, _:;;.~· Now much overgrown by vines, the ruins are maintained and are in generally -t sound condition. ;:o To the north of the house are the two curious service buildings which now c:: serve as ,.t;he ,main ,re,s.i,.dence, fqr, Barbo.ursville. It, .. is be li~v:ed ,tha t . thes~ (') structures were built circa 1790 and were lived in by James Barbour until -t . t;he maj.n hQ\lS.e.:was ,C;omplet;ed •. As, tb,~y are built on the slop~ of. a-hill, they appear as one story on the front with two-story columned galleries on 0 the rear. z V, BarboUl: 1 s estate has been known for its ,unusual.ly large and fine boxwood. which flourish on the grounds. A portion of the gardens were once surrounde by a serpentine wall similar to those designed by Mr. Jefferson for the University of Virginia. --•••-•< --c- •-~• -- T•---- •-- --------~ -~- (Cho<:k Ono or Maro•• Appropriate) Pre-Columbian O 16th Century 0 18th Century ~ 20th Century D 151h Century D 17th Century D 19th Century Kl SPECl•FI C OATEISI (II Appllceble and Known) AREAS OF SIGNI l'"ICANCE (Cheelr One .... MONt ... App,o_prlat<i). .• ' I ' .. '' ,r, '" I Abar i9inal Education O Political Gil· · · Urbai, Plo_nning Prehi1,1~ic ·· 0 · · .'Engi"ne'e'ring·. · · 0 ..... '· ~~llgi.;n/Ph·i: • :• '.·' · ' _.·Other (Sp·e~lty) ••r, \, .. Hi~to,li: ·····o··~··· _Industry .. _·•·tJ~.:. ' ";loio~hy '""i:!J .,.;, Agriculture O Invention O Science 0 Art ·,[!! 'Lo'rids~~pe .. ,. Sculpture -~-·-·, ~0-·"·· ,,. I·-------··-·-- Commerce D Ar chi lecture D Social/Human• Communications D u,.,.,.,,. D itaria., D Conservation D Military D Theater 0 Music 0 Trlilnspartation D . STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE (Include Peraane11e•, Dates, E-nta, Ete.) In a letter dated March 29, 1817, James Barbour thanked his friend Thomas Jefferson for supplying him with designs for· his new house. The designs were returned to Jefferson along with the letter by James Bradley, ·a VI carpenter, and Edward Ancel (?), a bricklayer, both of whom Barbour had % employed to erect his house. Barbour intended the two workmen to study 0 Monticello while on their errand and acquaint themselves with the character of Jefferson's architectural work. I- u As designed, Barboursville more nearly resembled Monticello than any other of Jefferson's works. However, the most striking parallel, the octagonal :J dome, was omitted (as Jefferson said it could be) during construction. ~ Although in ruins, enough of Barboursville's walls remain so that they f- can be studied and compared with Jefferson's drawings. Had it survived VI as designed, Barboursville would undoubtedly rank as Jefferson's most "' % important residential work beside Monticello, but even in its -present·.· state its significance as a relic of one of America's most distinguished architects -is not diminished. Jefferson'-s drawings for Barboursville which w include a plan and elevations of the entrance and garden front are preserve w in the Massachusetts Historical Society. •' " VI Barboursville's architectural,si.gnificance has often tended to overshadow the distinguished career of its first occupant. James Barbour (1775-1842), besides being an obvious patron of architecture, was a member of the Virginia Legislature from 1796 to 1812, and was Governor of the Commonwealt from 1812 to 1814. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1815, where he served until 1825, then becoming Secretary of War until 1828. From 1828 to 1829 he represented his country in England as Minister Plenipotentiary. He was chairman of the Whig National Convention which nominated William Henry Harrison in 1839, and for many years served as president of the Orange Humane Society. He is credited with having fourrled the Literary Fund of Virginia which long supported popular education in Virginia. Barbour lies buried in the family cemetery at Barboursville. ----~---- -----····--·-·-·--- .. ·····------------- ----------- ------. --~-------~-------~ ary, Ihna Thayer. Thomas Jefferson, Architect and Builder. Richmond: 1939. Scott, W.W.,~ History of Orange County, Virginia. Richmond: 1907. Lancaster, Robert A., Jr., Historic Virginia Homes and Churches. Philadelphia: 1915. Garden Club of Virginia, Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia, 1962. Nichols, Frederick Doveton, Thomas Jefferson's Architectural Drawings. Boston: 1961. Kimball, Fiske, Thomas Jefferson, Architect. Boston~ 1916. ;_,_ ': 10, GEOGRAPHICAL DATA LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATE:5 LATITUDE ANO LONGITUDE COORDINATES 0 OEFl,Nj,N~. A_RE]CTJ"~Gl.e; LOCATIING:'rHE.'FrROP.ERTY, CIJiFJlillNG:TH-E: C-&N'TER•POINT OF A PROPERTY R OF i...E S THA,N 1'1~ AC:RE · CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONG! TUDE D"9'""' Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds De;rees Minut"s Seconds Degrees Minutes s~conds NW 38° 10' 06 . 78 ° 17' 28" 0 0 NE 38° 10' 06 . 78° . 16 ' . 23 ~ i2.1.<1N"l, UTM '733 ,~ 4 °'- ). 1 I ""lcQ:.J ., ·0 • ."::sE 38° 09' 22 ~ 78 ° t6=·:'·- 23 .·~ SW 381' . 28 • 09' 22 78 ° 17 ' Vt LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY 80UNOARIES STATE: CODE COUNTY CODE m m STATE; CODE COUNTY: CODE CODE COUN TV, CODE z VI r~· STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE -I r :::0 " 'll. FORM PREPAR~O BY· C NAME AND TITLE: Staff, Virginia Historic Landmarks Corrunission, James W. Moody, Jr., Director n DATE -I Virginia Historic Landmarks Corrunission J:uly ~1, _1969 STREET ANO NUMBER: 0 Room 1116, Ninth Street State Office Building z CITY OR TOWN: STATE VI Richmond Virginia 5 --12. <STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTlFiCATJOtf • NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION '· As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na- I herebv certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion Nations 1 Register. in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended Chief, Office of ArcheoloeY and Historic Preservation ·,, level of significance of this nomination is: National ~ State O Local O Date -------------------- Name -------------------- ATTEST: Dr. Edward P. Alexander, Chairma Title Virginia Hj storic Landmarks Cammi sion t -----------------,------Keeper of The National Re~ister bate --- Date-------------------- ---------------,------ --.------- ' Barboursville La~itude Longitude 1'W 38° 1 0 I 0611 0 780 17' 28" 11; 3s 10 1 0611 78° 16 1 23 11 SE 38° 09' 22" 78~ 16 1 23 11 SW 38° 09' 22" 78 171 28" .