Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/15/1977
NRHP Listing Date 01/30/1978
NRHP Reference Number 78003035
The weatherboarded country Georgian structure of Oakridge is a typical and well-preserved example of a residence of a prosperous planter of Virginia’s southern Piedmont. It was built in Nottoway County ca. 1800 for Burwell Smith, a Southside landowner who, in contrast to his substantial and well-finished house, was described by one writer as “a particularly parsimonious and illiterate man.” Although the generously proportioned house appears to have been built in two sections, the one-story wing is part of the original construction. The main rooms are ornamented with paneled wainscoting and paneled chimneypieces framed by fluted pilasters. A special interior feature of Oakridge is the Chinese lattice stair railing, a stylish device sometimes found in finer Federal-style houses in southern Virginia.
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 21, 2021
