Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
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VLR Listing Date 09/09/1969
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1966
NHL Listing Date 10/09/1960
NRHP Reference Number 66000849
The nation’s outstanding example of high-style 17th-century domestic architecture, and the oldest documented house in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Bacon’s Castle was erected in 1665 for Arthur Allen. Pure Jacobean in form and detail, the house is distinguished by its cruciform plan, curvilinear gables, and diagonal chimney stacks. It acquired its present name in 1676, when, during Bacon’s Rebellion, the house was fortified by a group of Nathaniel Bacon’s followers. The house was modified in the 18th century when the first-floor paneling was installed and the windows were changed from casements to wooden sash. Further alterations occurred in the 1840s when a Greek Revival wing was added. The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now Preservation Virginia) purchased the Surry County property in 1973 and exhibits it as a museum. On the grounds of Bacon’s Castle is a vast formal garden, reconstructed from archaeological evidence of the original 17th-century garden.
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 15, 2022
