Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/19/2015
NRHP Listing Date 05/18/2015
NRHP Reference Number 15000251
Kenwood, in Gloucester County, began in the early 1800s as a simplified Federal-style house. It is located near the “Greate Road” (today’s U.S. Route 17), a corridor of increasing economic activity in the county during the Antebellum period. By 1860, owner John R. Cary had expanded the original house into an elegant mid-19th-century Italianate-trimmed residence that featured expanded entertaining space, and formal entrances and porches. The house preserves the design and workmanship of enslaved African American craftsmen who manufactured and installed brick for the walls and wood elements such as doors, brackets, railings, stairs, and interior trim. Archaeological remains on the property include a brick kiln and clay extraction area and the site where a large barn once stood. At the time of its listing, Kenwood’s house sat on a secluded, tree-edged lot surrounded by agricultural fields that continued to evoke its agricultural past.
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 6, 2023
