Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 02/17/1976
NRHP Listing Date 07/30/1976
NRHP Reference Number 76002117
Built in Page County west of the town of Luray, ca. 1820 for John R. and Elizabeth Strickler Burner, Massanutton Heights is a Valley farmstead offering an informative picture of the material culture of the region’s German American families. The plain exterior masks gaily painted interior wall decorations. With the character of folk art, the parlor embellishments include stenciled floral borders imitating printed border papers. In place of a cornice are painted drapery swags with fringe and tassels. The dado is painted to resemble paneled wainscoting. Woodwork in other areas is painted to imitate tiger maple. The artist has not been identified, but family tradition holds that some of the earliest decoration was executed by a itinerant Italian artist, and that the later drapery swags are by a Stickler family member. The property derives its name from its site above Massanutton Old Fields, a former settlement. Several early farm buildings remain.
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 8, 2021
