National Register of Historic Places

Sears House

Staunton (Independent City), Staunton County, Virginia
Listed
February 23, 1972
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
72001530

About this property

Sears House is a historic home located at Staunton, Virginia. It was built about 1860, and is a 1+1⁄2-story, frame dwelling representative of a small "bracketed cottage" popularized by Andrew Jackson Downing. It is sheathed with board-and-batten and is covered with a cross-gable roof. It features long, shallow-scrolled roof brackets, a three-bay arcaded front porch, and a three-story octagonal-ended tower covered by a shallow hipped roof with dentiled cornice. It was the home of Dr. Barnas Sears (1802-1880), a prominent educator, who owned and occupied the house from 1867 until his death. The house was built by Col. Robert Lewis Madison, MD, and designed by his wife, Helen Banister Madison. Their son, Robert Lee Madison, founder and former president of Western Carolina University, in Cullowhee, North Carolina, was born there on February 17, 1867, shortly before the house was sold to Sears for $4,000. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Location

Staunton (Independent City), Staunton County, Virginia
38.14601, -79.07209

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Wharf Area Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.1 mi
Wharf Area Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Augusta County Courthouse
Industrial
0.2 mi
Hoge, Arista, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Stuart House
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Staunton (Apr 1865)
1865Civil War
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Sears House listed on the National Register?

Sears House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.

What type of historic resource is Sears House?

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

What is the period of significance for Sears House?

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

Can I research the history near Sears House?

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