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 89001812
Perched on the edge of a steep bluff, high above the Little River and the village of Graysontown in Montgomery County, the Bishop House is a dwelling of immediate and unique appeal. The setting, compact scale, and quaint architecture, combine to make a memorable picture of late-19th-century individualism and domesticity. The dominant design element is the fanciful Eastlake front porch with its turned posts, pendants, balusters, and spindles. This is echoed on the rear with a two-tiered porch overlooking the river valley. Inside, the Bishop House is trimmed with unpainted pine woodwork accented with details in walnut. The house, probably built in the 1870s, was originally the home of Dr. William Bishop, a Civil War veteran. Local tradition holds that Dr. Bishop played the bugle from this hill every Sunday evening.
The Bishop 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: June 8, 2022
