Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/19/1978
NRHP Listing Date 05/24/1979
NRHP Reference Number 79003028
This small stone house of 1814 is a rare Virginia example of a Continental bank house, a form employed to take advantage of hilly sites. The type was introduced to America by settlers of German extraction. The house stands on part of the tract owned by Henry Miller’s Mossy Creek Iron Furnace. Built for Henry Miller’s widow Hannah, it is an early example of a Stockli, a Swiss-German term for a small house set aside for retired parents. Such housing for the elderly, although common among the Pennsylvania Germans, was unusual in Virginia. The original portion consists of one room on each level with a plain interior. Attached to one side is an early 20th-century frame wing. The house stood unoccupied for many years but is undergoing a long-term rehabilitation.
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: October 1, 2021
