Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
See link(s) below to view additional documentation.
VLR Listing Date 08/21/1990
NRHP Listing Date 01/24/1991
NRHP Reference Number 90002164
The two picturesque outbuildings at this busy highway intersection in King George County are the remnants of the extensive 18th-century farmstead of Office Hall, that was the birthplace and childhood home of William (“Extra Billy”) Smith (1797-1887), U.S. congressman, Confederate general, and twice governor of Virginia. Built circa 1805-1820, the kitchen is one of the very few one-room-plan, two-story brick plantation kitchens recorded in Virginia. It exhibits several unusual features including formal Federal-style detailing, an odd hierarchy of brickwork patterns, and a second-story room originally accessible only by an exterior stair. At various points in its history the kitchen served as servants’ lodgings and as a private school. The contemporary smokehouse has an unusual roof structure, featuring false joists and outriggers. At the time of listing in the registers both buildings remained remarkably unaltered and illustrate the broad repertoire of the vernacular Virginia builder.
An updated nomination was approved in 1999 prior to the move of the kitchen and the smokehouse to a nearby knoll within the historic Office Hall tract, but away from the intersection of Routes 3 and 301. The buildings have since fallen into a ruinous condition.
[VLR Approved: 5/16/1999; NRHP Approved: 8/19/1999]
1999 Boundary Adjustment Nomination
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 20, 2023
