Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/15/1986
NRHP Listing Date 11/06/1986
NRHP Reference Number 86003135
On the Great Wicomico River in the northeastern part of county, Shalango is one of the largest antebellum plantation houses in Northumberland County. Maintaining an air of untouched antiquity, the house was erected in 1855-56 for planter John Hopkins Coles and is still owned by his descendants. Like its several contemporaries in the region, the imposing single-pile dwelling has a straightforward conservatism, employing the five-bay, gable-roof, center-passage format in use in eastern Virginia since the colonial period. The interior, however, has more stylish Greek Revival- and Italianate-style detailing. Especially noteworthy is the three-story, open-well stair, one of the most impressive of its type in the region. John Hopkins Coles served in the Virginia cavalry during the Civil War and later served as county magistrate.
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 27, 2021
