AN UPDATE OF THE INVENTORY OF EARLY ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORICAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES, COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA -=- _ .. _. ...... ~;. Published by the County of Henrico, Virginia 1995 Susan E. Smead and Marc C. Wagner AN UPDATE OF THE INVENTORY OF EARLY ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORIC AND ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES, COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA ( Published by the County of Henrico, Virginia 1995 Susan E. Smead and Marc C. Wagner TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication 111 Appendices Acknowledgements IV List of Appendices 201 Appreciation V A: Cultural Resources/ Inventory- Alphabetical Order 202 Introduction Background 1 B: Cultural Resources/ Inventory- Methodology 3 Numerical Order 209 Historical Context 6 Summary of Findings 13 C: Cultural Resources/ Update of Recommendations/Further Work 18 the Inventory - Alphabetical Order 216 Recommendations/ Cultural Resources Management 22 D: Cultural Resources/ Update of the Inventory - Numerical Order 220 Cultural Resources/ Inventory o[.Earl}!. Architectllre and Historic E: Cultural Resources Potentially and Archeological Sites/ Notes on Eligible/ National Register of Modifications Historic Places - Inventory 224 Archeological Sites 24 Standing Structures 26 F: Cultural Resources Potentially Eligible/ National Register Standing Structures Identified as of Historic Places - Update of the Additions to the Inventory Inventory 226 Brookland District 51 Fairfield District 73 G: Cultural Resources in the Three Chopt District 94 Inventory that Have Been Lost 228 Tuckahoe District 110 Varina District 119 H: The National Register Criteria for Evaluation 229 Other Resources Added to the Inventory Archeological Sites 187 I: Glossary of Terms 230 Freeman/ Johnson Markers 192 Buildings on Inventory Sites 194 Indices/ Cultural Resources Bibliography 195 I. Alphabetical Order 239 2. Numerical Order 258 11 DEDICATION The County of Henrico dedicates this work to the memory of two gentlemen whose commitment to its history and whose appreciation of its historic resources will not be forgotten. Tate T. "Tom" Brady was a long-time resident of Henrico County and a member of the County's Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. He took a strong personal interest in the history of Henrico County and contributed much of his time and effort to this project. Jeffrey Marshall O'Dell, author of the Inventory of Early Architecture and Historic and Archeological Sites (1976 and 1978 editions), provided the original data base for this work. His efforts in Henrico County and elsewhere contributed greatly to the study of vernacular architecture throughout Virginia. lll INTRODUCTION Background The County of Henrico published the Inventory of Early Architecture and Historic and Archeological Sites, County ofHenrico, Virginia in 1976. Architectural historian Jeffrey M. O'Dell surveyed the historic resources and wrote the text. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR.), then called the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, cooperated with the County on the project. Henrico County printed a revised edition of the Inventory. also by O'Dell, in 1978. The purpose of the original Inventory survey "was to provide a reasonably complete and accurate record of the County's earliest and most historically important buildings. 11 The survey emphasized architectural resources. Archeological and historical sites were a large part of the study. With its compilation of survey data on the structures and sites, the Inventory became a reference tool for County planners, who used it to make planning decisions and to establish long-range planning goals.1 The Inventory also served to educate County residents and others about the broad sweep of Henrico's history. Henrico County experienced unprecedented economic development and population growth in the sixteen years following the original publication of the Inventory. The Board of Supervisors became concerned about the impact of this development upon the County's cultural resources. They established the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HP AC) on February 14, 1990 and directed it to update the Inventory. In November 1991, the County of Henrico issued a Request for Proposals to update the Inventory. The objectives of the proposed update were: [1] to revisit the historic resources presented in the Inventory, [2] to record alterations to them, [3] to record losses of historic resources, and [4] to add 100 new resources to the Inventory list. The County awarded the contract for The Update of the Inventory. to Preservation Associates of Virginia, a private consulting firm from Charlottesville, Virginia. They worked with History Program Staff in the Division of Recreation and Parks, who administered the project. The Historic Preservation Advisory Committee provided assistance as did the County Planning Office. The new Update ofthe Inventory chronicles changes to the resources presented in the Inventory and provides a compilation of information on cultural resources for County planners. It documents the impact of economic growth and development on the County's cultural resources between 1978 and 1 Jeffrey M. O'Dell, Inventorv of Early Architecture and Historic and Archeological Sites, County ofHenrico, Virginia (1976; County ofHenrico, Virginia, 1978) xi. 1 1995. Finally, the Update presents a recent history of cultural resources management to serve as a barometer of the County's past preservation efforts and as a gauge for the future. The 1976 Inventory was Henrico County's first comprehensive effort to record its most significant cultural resources. It emphasized the earliest and most architecturally or historically noteworthy specimens, many from the eighteenth and early-nineteenth century. With those early sites recorded, The Update of the Inventory concentrated on the architectural developments of the late-nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century. Due to the rapid growth of the County in the twentieth century, much of the built fabric of this period is disappearing before many realize its historic merit. By including resources dating to the mid-twentieth century, The Update of the Inventory serves as a bridge to its earlier past. 2 Methodology The process for conducting the field smvey and research investigations for the Update followed the methodology normally employed for county-wide cultural resources surveys. It included: field­ checking the lnvento,y resources, adding 100 new resources and seeking the input of HPAC at important junctures throughout the project's duration. Preservation Associates of Virginia conducted preliminary background research before field work began. The consultants reviewed Inventory files, checked cultural resource files at VDHR on additional structures and sites and looked through secondary resources. The consultants met with the County of Henrico Planning Office staff, Division of Recreation and Parks personnel and individual members of HPAC. The consultants carried out field work during the spring, summer, and fall of 1992, the spring and fall of 1993 and the spring of 1994. The first phase of field investigations involved driving to every site and structure presented in the Inventory, noting changes in the condition of the resources since their recordation in 1975-1976. As Preservation Associates drove through the County to visit the Inventory sites, they documented potential candidates for additions to the resources presented in the Inventory. This system of recordation included field survey, photography, and, where possible, interviewing property owners or others with knowledge of the histories of the resources. After Preservation Associates field checked the Inventory sites, they investigated areas of the County not yet explored. They conducted a windshield or driving survey along all passable roads and lanes in these areas of the County. The consultants used United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps, which show all standing structures, to conduct the field survey. They collected information from interviews conducted while checking the Inventory sites. This practice provided many additional leads on historic resources. Finally, the consultants surveyed and photographed the potential additions to the Inventory list found during this second phase of field work. During the field survey, the consultants continued research in both secondary and primary sources. The Henrico County Real Estate Office provided a printout of County residences over 50 years of age. Preservation Associates checked subdivision plat maps for early residential developments at the Planning Office. They also consulted holdings at the Library of Virginia. These included nineteenth and twentieth-century maps in the Archives, photos in the Picture Collection, WP A files, HABS reports, and Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps on microfilm. The consultants looked at important secondary sources on the history of Richmond, Henrico County, and architects and architecture of the area. These secondary sources included city directories, books on the work of William Lawrence Bottomley and Charles Gillette, the Official Milita,y Atlas of the Civil War by Major George Davis, et al, along with tour and guide books for Richmond and Henrico County. They also reviewed the photographs and files for Richmond and Henrico County in the collections of the Valentine Museum. 3 The consultants gathered additional information from archeological reports, and cultural resource identification and evaluation studies conducted as part of transportation improvement projects. Many Henrico County residents