Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/12/2001
NRHP Listing Date 02/11/2002
NRHP Reference Number 01001569
Aberdeen is an imposing brick temple-form mansion with a side-hall plan in which the hall runs across the front of the building. The house is remarkably well preserved and contains striking late Georgian interiors. It is the centerpiece of the rural estate of Thomas Cocke, who was the ward, friend, and neighbor of Edmund Ruffin. Ruffin and Cocke both experimented with marl to restore worn-out soils. Their observations at Aberdeen and other nearby sites became the basis for Ruffin’s seminal writings on agricultural practices—practices that led to the rejuvenation of agriculture in much of Virginia in the antebellum era. The flat fields of Aberdeen are still farmed today.
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: April 4, 2018
