National Register of Historic Places

Airville

Gloucester, Gloucester County, Virginia
Listed
December 6, 1990
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
90001824

About this property

Airville is a historic frame home located near Gloucester, Gloucester County, Virginia, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Five generations of men named "John Dixon" may have lived at the site during the 18th century, the first man having emigrated from Bristol, England and married Lucy Reade (1701-1731), whose father owned land in Gloucester County and who gave birth to three sons, before her death (and her husband's remarriage, and additional children). The eldest son, Rev. John Dixon, served as rector of Kingston Parish, then became a professor at the College of William and Mary. He also had three sons, and two daughters. His son John Dixon (d. 1788) married the daughter of Sir John Peyton of Islington in Gloucester County, who led the county militia during the American Revolutionary War. He may have been the John Dixon who served in the Virginia Senate representing Gloucester and adjacent Middlesex Counties 1780-1782. Their son John Dixon (d. 1830) married twice, and had three daughters and a son who became a medical doctor (1812-1835) by his first wife (Sarah Throckmorton). The family's papers are now held by the College of William and Mary. Prominent merchant and politician Thomas Smith acquired Airville from the estate, renovated it and added a three story addition. The earliest section, initially one story, has a central-passage plan and gambrel roof. The second section is a three-story, frame addition dated to the late-1830s. It features a Greek Revival style front porch with fluted-Ionic order columns. Also on the property are the contributing dairy, smokehouse, office, lumber house, and icehouse.

Location

Gloucester, Gloucester County, Virginia
37.38725, -76.50404

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Land
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Geology
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Zion Poplars Baptist Church
Industrial
0.8 mi
Gloucester Women's Club
Industrial
1.9 mi
Walker, T.C., House
Industrial
2 mi
Gloucester Downtown Historic District
Listed
2.1 mi
Abingdon Glebe House
Colonial
2.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Gloucester Point — Confederate Batteries (1862)
1862Civil War
1.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Airville listed on the National Register?

Airville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 1990.

What type of historic resource is Airville?

Airville is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Airville?

The period of significance for Airville is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Airville?

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