Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/09/2021
NRHP Listing Date 03/22/2022
NRHP Reference Number SG100007537
Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Page County, the Koontz-Cave House, built in 1869, combines elements of Italianate, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival architecture, blending popular styles among homeowners of the Civil War era. Notable exterior features include a bracketed Italianate cornice with a frieze band of square and lozenge figures, a Greek Revival-inspired front entry surround, an attached rear ell with a remodeled original two-tier side porch, and four false windows set for aesthetic appeal into the southeast gable end. Inside, a few fireplace mantels display Gothic Revival-style influences. According to tradition, builders Core Proctor and I. B. Sheets of the Town of Woodstock (Shenandoah County) built the two-story brick dwelling for farmer Lewis C. Koontz and his wife, Elizabeth Hutchinson Koontz. The Cave family has owned the property since 1944, when heirs of the previous owners, the Housdens, sold the farm to Joseph Maxwell Cave, Sr., and his wife. Situated about a mile west the village of Marksville, the 1.8-acre property consists of cleared pastureland and fields with views of historic and modern houses and buildings as well as Hershberger Hill to the north. Currently, Shenandoah Woods, a vacation rental business, uses the Koontz-Cave House and property for accommodations and special events.
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: March 31, 2022
