Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/17/1974
NRHP Listing Date 10/09/1974
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 74002106
In a pastoral setting above the James River in Bedford County, the compact early-19th-century farmhouse of Hope Dawn is a refined and well-preserved example of Piedmont Virginia’s Federal vernacular. Its finely crafted details and balanced proportions illustrate the high standards maintained by builders even for modest houses in relatively remote areas. Noteworthy features are the original porches, the Flemish-bond brickwork, and the finely detailed Federal mantels based on designs in Owen Biddle’s The Young Carpenter’s Assistant (1805). The construction date is uncertain. The house may have been standing when the property was acquired in 1827 by Dr. Howell Davies, a Lynchburg druggist, who used Hope Dawn as a country home. Preserved in front of Hope Dawn is a short section of the old Bethel Road, an early turnpike. The road is still lined with its original stone retaining walls and dressed-stone gateposts.
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: April 25, 2022
