Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 11/16/1971
NRHP Listing Date 02/23/1972
NRHP Reference Number 72001504
Erected ca. 1753 on Armstrong Point facing Hampton Creek and the harbor, the Herbert House is the oldest dwelling in the city of Hampton. It remained in the Herbert family, for whom it was built, until 1808. One of its owners, Capt. Thomas Herbert, served in the Virginia navy during the American Revolution. Because it was a plantation house and outside the town proper, the Herbert House was spared the burning that destroyed most of Hampton during the Civil War. The house remains a sophisticated example of colonial Georgian style, exhibiting the careful proportions and fine brickwork typical of Virginia’s more substantial mid-18th-century houses. Unoccupied for several decades at the time of its listing in the early 1970s, the Herbert House suffered from alterations made during the 19th century. Surrounding modern housing has almost completely hidden this rare landmark.
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: June 30, 2022
