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 10/15/1974
NRHP Reference Number 74002132; OT74002132
Delisted from VLR on 09/15/2016
Delisted from NRHP on 09/18/2017
An architectural curiosity, this vernacular farmhouse survives as Virginia’s only known example of an early dwelling with a double tier of dormer windows. Another such house, Bewdley in Lancaster County, was destroyed by fire in 1917. Unlike Bewdley, Wolftrap has its two rows of dormers on only one roof slope, giving the house an asymmetrical profile. Multiple tiers of dormers are common in central Europe but rare in Britain; hence, this roof treatment was not widely used by settlers of English descent. In Virginia, rows of dormers were sometimes employed on large industrial buildings, especially urban mills, but almost never on houses. Wolftrap was erected for the Jones family in the second decade of the 19th century.
Wolftrap Farm was listed for its significance in the area of Architecture as the only known example of a ca. 1820 Virginia farmhouse with a distinctive double tier of dormer windows. At the time of listing the property included about 5 acres, and a frame kitchen/quarter with brick chimney also was on the property. In 2012, the primary dwelling and outbuilding were demolished.
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: December 26, 2018
