Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/19/1990
NRHP Listing Date 01/24/1991
NRHP Reference Number 90002158
Surrounded by a residential development in suburban south Richmond, the Taylor Farm forms a time capsule illustrating a once-typical rural homestead. Owned by the Aubrey Taylor family since 1917, the farm is a three-acre parcel, the core of a larger farmstead established shortly after the Civil War. The simple frame dwelling was built in stages beginning about 1870 for the family of blacksmith Joseph T. Williams. It features an unusual gable-fronted, two-room-plan main block with rear and side wings. Other buildings, all dating to the early 20th century, include a garage, storage shed, barn, lumber shed, and corncrib. Decorative landscape elements surrounding the house, designed by lifelong resident and amateur gardener Olin Taylor, date largely from the 1930s. They include a rock-walled flower garden, an ornamental fish pool, rubblestone retaining walls, and shingled entry gates, all amid ornamental shade trees.
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 18, 2021
