Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/13/1988
NRHP Listing Date 11/08/1989
NRHP Reference Number 89001794
Situated at the intersection of Bristow Road and Southern Railroad tracks in Prince William County, the rambling, Victorian Davis-Beard House is a rare surviving example of a 19th-century combination dwelling and general store. It stands on the brownstone foundations of a house built by Thomas Davis around 1856 and apparently destroyed during the 1863 Civil War Battle of Bristoe. It was replaced soon after the war by a new house called Glee Hall, a simple dwelling that was expanded around 1878. In 1891 Robert Davis added the store section and operated a general store, hardware store, and lumber business on the premises. A post office wing was added in 1920. Sold by the Davis family in 1961, the building then served as an antiques shop and dwelling beginning in 1966, and it remained the village of Bristow’s principal historic anchor. Most of the early interior appointments of the store section of the Davis-Beard House remain in place.
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 13, 2023
