Pear Valley
About this property
Pear Valley is a one-room yeoman's cottage and prime example of vernacular architecture in Eastville, Virginia. The modest embellishments and its high level of preservation make it one of the most architecturally interesting examples of small, historic homes in Virginia. The house is very typical of early Chesapeake architecture. It is a 1+1⁄2-story brace-framed structure, clad in weatherboard siding that is largely original, with one wall of brick laid in Flemish bond. Its interior consists of a single chamber with a sleeping loft above. The dwelling is remarkably detailed and impeccably constructed. The owners were presumably slightly more well-off than their near neighbors, but still not wealthy enough to afford a larger, brick building. Distinctive features of the building include a pyramidal chimney and glazed brickwork. Although there used to be controversy surrounding the construction date, Dendrochronology and extensive study place the date between 1720 and 1750. The building underwent a number of alterations in the 19th and early 20th centuries. From the mid-1940s to the mid-1980s the house was little-used, sometimes housing migrant workers, but it was also used for storage, and as a chicken house for a time. Preservation Virginia purchased the property in 1986. They began extensive restoration work, including repairing the foundation, in 1994. The entire roof of the structure was replaced with cedar shingles, as called for by the Historic Structures Report, in 2004. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2013. On November 13, 2014, Preservation Virginia transferred ownership of Pear Valley to the newly formed Northampton Historic Preservation Society (formerly the 100-year-old Northampton Branch, PVA). The property is currently open to the public by appointment. National Register of Historic Places listings in Northampton County, Virginia Pear Valley, State Route 628 vicinity, Shadyside, Northampton County, VA at the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)
Location
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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.
Everything a full report reveals about Pear Valley
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Questions about this property
When was Pear Valley listed on the National Register?
Pear Valley was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 11, 1969.
What type of historic resource is Pear Valley?
Pear Valley is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Pear Valley a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Pear Valley has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Pear Valley?
The period of significance for Pear Valley is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Pear Valley?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Pear Valley will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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