Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 05/16/1972
NRHP Listing Date 06/30/1972
NRHP Reference Number 72001405
Ionia’s dwelling house, with its symmetrical façade, hall-parlor plan, shed-roofed porch, weatherboarded walls, and narrow dormers, illustrates the rational simplicity of the colonial Virginia farmhouse, a simplicity not based on economic necessity. Despite its small size and ordinary materials, the house has the architectural dignity inherent in many vernacular buildings of the period. Built in the early 1770s for Maj. James Watson, Ionia is one of the oldest residences in Louisa County’s Green Springs Rural Historic District. Expanded at least four times by different generations of the family, the house retains its self-effacing aspect. Several early domestic outbuildings, including a large early barn, add interest to this venerable homestead.
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 29, 2021
