Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/18/1985
NRHP Listing Date 11/26/1985
NRHP Reference Number 85003052
This otherwise unprepossessing vernacular dwelling has had a complicated structural history, making it an instructive example of evolutionary expansion. The earliest portion began as a 1790 log corncrib on the plantation of Furneau Southall, deputy-sheriff of Charles City County. This rare survival of log construction in this area was transformed into a general merchandise store in 1820. The store was expanded in 1853 by John S. Stubblefield, Southall’s grandson, who added a single-cell frame wing. Piney Grove Store served this part of rural Charles City County for some eighty-five years. Such general stores were often gathering places and played an important role in 19th-century social life. In 1905 the structure was further expanded with a two-story frame section, and the whole building became a residence. Piney Grove has recently undergone a restoration that sensitively maintains the structure’s layers of history.
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 4, 2018
