Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/08/2004
NRHP Listing Date 11/17/2004
NRHP Reference Number 04001268
The Lexington & Covington Turnpike Toll House occupies a small lot at the intersection of Lime Kiln and Enfield roads, both of which once formed part of the course of the Lexington & Covington Turnpike in the city of Lexington. Built circa 1834, the toll house was originally a two-room brick building, with a Flemish-bond brick front, a molded brick cornice, and gable-end chimneys (one now interior). A board-and-batten frame ell was added between 1865–67. The Lexington & Covington Turnpike Toll House’s stone basement likely functioned as a kitchen and the main level as a dining room. Two vertical plank or “boxed” rooms were added to the east gable end of the original section, probably during the early 1870s, giving the house an overall U shape. A Victorian porch and mantels may date to 1887. The turnpike served the farms and the iron furnaces of Rockbridge and Alleghany counties. Although it was intended as a link in a chain of turnpikes connecting Richmond with the Ohio River, the turnpike declined in the 1850s and eventually reverted to county road status.
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: May 26, 2022
