Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/14/2005
NRHP Listing Date 11/16/2005
NRHP Reference Number 05001264
Located in southeastern Fauquier County, the Casanova Historic District is a small cluster of remarkably intact late 19th- and early 20th-century buildings, including a rare steam-powered mill, a late 19th-century schoolhouse, a tiny post office, a parish house and a rectory, and some commercial buildings and residences. Casanova began its life in the mid-19th century as “Three Mile Station” or “Three Mile Switch,” signifying its location exactly three miles along the newly laid Warrenton Branch Railroad, a spur of the old Orange and Alexandria Railroad. It became known as Melrose Station, named for a nearby plantation, Melrose Castle, but was renamed Casanova in the late 19th century to avoid confusion with a Melrose community in Rockingham County. The new name honored Juan Casanova, who married into the Murray family, the original owners of Melrose. With commercial, industrial, institutional, and fine residential structures dating from 1879 to 1920, Casanova today presents a rare image of a small community virtually untouched by modern intrusions. The district’s earliest surviving architectural resource dates to 1879; unfortunately, the train station and all other rail-related buildings are gone.
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 13, 2021
