Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/20/1989
NRHP Listing Date 11/13/1989
NRHP Reference Number 89001887
On a hillside above Elliott Creek, the Howard-Bell-Feather House is Montgomery County’s only pre-mid-19th-century stone house. Though stone is readily available, for no apparent reason other than the fact that stone is more difficult to handle than brick or wood, the county never developed a strong tradition of stone construction. Stone buildings in Southwest Virginia are generally associated with German settlers, but there is no evidence that the builder here was ethnic German. The severely plain vernacular house was probably built ca. 1810 for William Howard. The original three-room plan was changed when a partition was removed, although some simple early trim remains. An early owner, the Rev. John Bell (died 1833), along with members of the Feather family, lie buried in a family cemetery. The property is still owned by Feather family descendants.
The Howard-Bell-Feather House was listed in the registers under the Prehistoric and Historic Resources of Montgomery County MPD.
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: July 22, 2022
