Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/15/1999
NRHP Listing Date 12/22/1999
NRHP Reference Number 99001603
Provost, an early-19th-century frame house in Powhatan County, was first known as Oakville. The house sits at the intersection of two roads: one was an early stagecoach route from Richmond and the other was a road to Cartersville. Provost’s varied massing, shed dormers, and two front porches combine with its picket fence and venerable trees to create the quintessential country crossroads residence. The earliest portion of the house, consisting of a center hall with a room on either side, was probably built about 1800. Additions were made in the mid-19th century and in the 1920s. Throughout much of that time, Provost served a variety of public needs including general store, ordinary, post office, and telephone exchange. From 1933 until 1945, this historic site in Powhatan County was a branch office of the state’s Bureau of Vital Statistics.
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: February 22, 2023
