Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 07/18/1978
NRHP Listing Date 11/16/1978
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 78003006
The blending of academic with vernacular architectural traditions lends the Shenandoah Valley farmhouse at Chapel Hill a vibrancy usually lacking in stylistically purer works. Its vernacular I-house form is overlaid with such stylish features as a pedimented entrance pavilion, three-part windows with stuccoed arches, and a fanlight doorway, all boldly and freely interpreted standard Federal forms. Adding interest is the interior woodwork with its exaggerated moldings, much of which preserves early graining and marbleizing. The hall is dominated by a graceful spiral stair. The parlor preserves a rare set of vividly colored French scenic wallpaper with border and wainscot papers. The paper, entitled “Le Petit Decor,” was first published in 1815 and depicts idyllic garden scenes. Several early outbuildings remain in the curtilage. Chapel Hill was completed by 1834 for John Knight Churchman on property in Augusta County that he purchased in 1826, and remains the home of Churchman’s descendants.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: September 7, 2022
