Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/17/1985
NRHP Listing Date 12/19/1985
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 85003201
The fanciful Burks-Guy-Hagan House in the town of Bedford, with its romantically landscaped grounds focusing on the Peaks of Otter, is a classic example of a Victorian suburban villa. As defined by the 19th-century architectural writer Andrew Jackson Downing, the villa was “the most refined house of America—the home of its most leisurely and educated class of citizens.” Like many of the villa designs published by Downing and others, the Burks-Guy-Hagan House has a picturesque silhouette accented by a central tower. It was built in 1884 for Judge Martin P. Burks, who became dean of the Washington and Lee University School of Law and later a justice of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Burks was also the author of Burks’ Pleading and Practice. Local educator James R. Guy, ancestor of the owners at the time of listing in the registers, purchased the property in 1907. The Burks-Guy-Hagan House contributes to the Bedford Historic District.
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: March 3, 2023
