Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 10/20/1993
NRHP Listing Date 01/11/1994
DHR Board of Historic Resources easements
NRHP Reference Number 93001458
Burlington is a classic demonstration of the transmission of sophisticated architectural design to rural buildings through the medium of publication. This stately plantation house, located in Orange County’s Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District, is embellished with Greek-style decorations copied with precision from illustrations in Asher Benjamin’s pattern book The Practical House Carpenter (1830), a work that profoundly influenced American building. It was Benjamin’s handsome plates and straightforward instructions that made the grandeur of Attica accessible to the nation’s nethermost regions. Burlington was constructed in 1851 by master carpenter George H. Stockdon for James Barbour Newman, nephew of Governor James Barbour. Most of the labor was provided by blacks, both free and slave. The fluted Ionic columns, doorway, window frames, mantels, and moldings are all faithfully interpreted Benjamin designs. An exception is the Chinese lattice balcony railing, a detail popularized in the area by Thomas Jefferson. Essentially unchanged, Burlington retains its gentle rural setting.
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: September 7, 2021
