For Sale

History

NPS Fom, 10-800
(Rev. 8-68)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Registration Form
°"'' No. 10H-ooll
VL-R- i.t-;,s;ge:r NR+\-P- (r;/2--;../~o
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of ellglblllty for Individual properties or districts. See Instructions In Gu/dellne1
for Completing Nations/ Register Forms (National Register Bulletin 16). Complete each Item by marking "x" In the appropriate bOx or by entering
the requested Information. If an Item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "NIA" for "not applicable." For functlona, styles, materials,
and areas of significance, enter only the categories and 1ubcategorle1 !lated In the tnatructlona. For additional apace uae continuation ahHta
{Form 10-900a). Type all entries.
1, Name of Property
hlatorlc name Monticola
other namee/alta number DHR file 02-51
2. Location
atreet & number VA State Route 602 N A
cit town Howardsville N A
state Virginia code VA county Al be marl e code 003 zip code 24562
3. Claaalflcatlon
Ownership of Property
[X] private
D public-local D public-State
D public-Federal
Category of Property
[X] bulldlng(a)
0dlatrlct
Oalte
D atructure
Oobject
Name of related multiple property listing:
N A
4. State/Federal Agency Certification
Number of Resources within Property
Contributing Noncontributing
4 2 building,
2 O 1ltea
0 1 structures
0 0 objects
6 3 Total
Number of contributing resources previously
listed In the National Register o _
61 the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this
~ nomination D request· for determination of eligiblllty meets the documentation standards for registering properties In the
Natio?a Reg·ster of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth In 36 CFR Part 60.
In my· o Into , the Ji)rop meets D does not meet the National Register criteria. D See continuation sheet.
J !·(a~., jcj 5 <>
Date
State or Federal agency and bureau
In my opinion, the property D meets D does not meet the National Register criteria. D See continuation sheet.
Signature of commenting or other official
State or Federal agency and bureau
5. National Park Service Certification
I, hereby, certify that this property Is:
0 entered In the National Register.
D See continuation aheet.
D determined eligible for the National
Register. D See continuation sheet.
D determined not eligible for the
National Register.
D removed from the National Register.
0 other, (explain:)--------
Date
Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions)
Romestic: Single dwelling
Omestic: Secondary structure
7. Description
Architectural Classification
(enter categories from Instructions)
Greek Revival
Colonial Revival
Describe present and historic physical appearance.
SUMMARY DESCRIPI'ION
Current Functions (enter categories from instructions)
Domestic: Single dwelling ·
Domestic: Secondary structure
Materials (enter categories from instructions)
foundation ;b::r~i:.:c:;;k:..._ __
walls _ _:;br:...:1:.;c· :.:k.:... ___
slate root _.:=::.,.=--==::-----------:
other _ w,;;.o:.;o:...:d:......,P:...:O..:r..:c.:.;h.:.e.:.s _ ,..
Monticola, a three-story, eight-thousand-square-foot, James River
plantation house in Howardsville, Virginia, represents one of the finest
examples of Greek Revival architecture along the James River. The house
is situated on forty of its original 791 acres at the top of a small
mountain to the north of the village of Howardsville, at the base of
Mount Alto. The estate rests in a park-like setting of rolling hills,
open pastures, dense woods, and manicured lawns. Built in 1853 as the
residence of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel James Hartsook, the house retains much
of its original appearance, and includes several original outbuildings.
From the cupola atop the house one has a panoramic view of the estate and
the surrounding countryside, which includes three counties: Albemarle,
Nelson, and Buckingham, and, in the distance, the hazy outline of the
Blue Ridge Mountains. The nominated area includes four contributing
buildings: the house and three outbuildings; two contributing sites; one
non-contributing structure; and two non-contributing buildings--a
severely altered dependency and a modern one-bedroom guest cottage.
ARCHITECTURAL ANALYSIS
Monticola, which was built in 1853, rests on the remaining forty acres of
what was, at its prime, a 791-acre estate. The tall, three-story brick
Greek Revival house sits on top of a small mountain, nestled between the
James River and the village of Howardsville to the south, and Mount Alto
to the north. The house and its outbuildings are surrounded by manicured
lawns, flower gardens, and at the edge of the open property trees,
including dogwood, redbud, and fruit trees. Woods extend from the edges
of the lawns to the borders of the property. An old carriage drive
travels almost a half mile through the woods and cleared land until it
reaches the boundary of the estate, and then winds through the
outbuildings and behind the house.
Monticola's main (southern) facade is three bays wide with a central,
two-story, pedimented portico. All four facades are brick, laid in
[!I See continuation sheet
-~----------------------
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 _ Page_2_ _
Flemish bond. The house is approximately fifty-foot square, and rises
two stories above a raised basement. It is topped by a hipped roof, with
a cupola. The rear elevation has a two-level, semi-circular porch which
was added between 1887 and 1890. The four corners of the house are
adorned by giant stuccoed pilasters, topped with wooden caps. Within the
porch, the south facade entrance is flanked by paired, giant stuccoed
pilasters, and the entrance itself is recessed, creating a porch in
antis. The north entrance is flanked by single, giant stuccoed
pilasters, also within a porch. A stuccoed frieze and a wooden cornice
run around the entire house. The original tin roof was replaced with
slate in the late nineteenth century. The house is lit by six-over-six,
double-hung windows ornamented by bull's-eye corner blocks throughout.
Original exterior louvered shutters deteriorated and were removed in 1968
and in the late 1970s the basement was parged.
The portico on the south facade has been altered several times. The
first configuration, recorded in old photographs, was a pedimented, twolevel
porch, which extended the full width of the central bay and rested
on brick piers. single-story square columns connected by Chippendalestyle
railings on both levels supported it. Sometime between 1887 and
1890, the porch on the second level was removed and the columns were
replaced with the current slender, paneled, square columns. In 1940 the
house was used as a movie set, and the wooden porch was replaced with a
double, curved brick stair that was removed in the early 1970s. The
columns now stand alone, set out from the house, and wooden stairs rise
to the recessed entrance. There are three doors from this level into the
house, and the main one, which leads into the central hall, is flanked by
sidelights and surmounted by a transom. This porch is stuccoed and
scored to resemble stone. A balcony on the second floor within the
recess has a Chippendale railing, and the current owners have replaced
the Chippendale railing that connects the chimneys.
The portico on the north facade has also been altered since its
construction about 1890, when it replaced an earlier porch of unknown
design. It is semi-circular, two-level, and its Coloinal Revival details
include Ionic columns. Balustrades that originally conne'cted the columns
were removed, except for the handrail on the second level. The columns
on the second level were replaced in the early 1970s. The door on the
second floor is also a replacement, which may indicate that the original
porch was only one story.
The house has a double-pile, central-passage plan. Two parlors flank the
hall on either side. on the west side are the more formal parlors,
separated by floor-to-ceiling pocket doors. The trim in this room is
more elaborate, with Greek Revival pedimented window frames and heavy
molding around the doors. Both rooms have simple wooden mantles with a
frieze supported by pilasters, all having rounded profiles. The eastern
rooms are used as living and dining rooms. They are separated by exposed
,N.I.'.S, F orm 10.aoo,..,,
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number _.....Page..._
sliding doors,
with two-stage
the pilasters.
and their mantles are typical Greek Revival mantles,
recessed panels, and the other with stylized fluting
The flooring on this level is original heart pine.
one
on'
The stair is in the central passage, leading to both the basement and the
second floor. The plan of the basement mirrors that of the upper two
floors, with cement floors poured in the 1950s. The brick walls were
plastered between 1968 and 1978. The hand-hewn heart pine beams
supporting the first floor are visible. There is access from the
exterior through a door below the rear porch.
The staircase runs straight up the east wall and has turned oak
balusters, a faceted walnut newel post, and a walnut balustrade. On the
second floor a door at the opposite end of the hall leads to a stair to
the attic, where another stair continues up to the cupola and the widow's
walk at the top of the roof. On the second floor there are two bedrooms
on either side of the hall. Each bedroom has a fireplace and simple
mantles. The two rooms on the west side remain intact, but those on the
east side have been altered. Two bathrooms have been added between them,
in space that was originally part of the northeast bedroom. One bath
enters into it, the other into the southeast room. All plumbing was
added under a false floor so it can be removed with minimal damage to the
original structure.
A small, two-story brick building, probably the original kitchen, has
been connected to the main house by enclosing what was an open, latticed
breezeway from the dining room. The entrance on the south side is below
grade, and there is a six-over-six double-hung window over the door.
There are three windows on the north elevation, and a single, double-flue
chimney inside the east end. The entire building has been parged, except
for the south facade. Upstairs, upon entering from the dining room,
there is an office, with a small room off of it. From the larger room
there is a curving stair to the kitchen below.
Other contributing buildings also include a smokehouse, a storage shed,
and an old corn crib. The frame smokehouse stands directly behind the
main house on a brick foundation. It has a pyramidal roof, covered with
wood shingles. The storage shed, which is now used for garden tools, was
once used as a chicken coop. It is frame on a stone foundation, and it
also has a pyramidal roof covered in wooden shingles.
The dependency was built to mirror the house, with a single-bay, onestory
pedimented portico and four unadorned, tapered wooden columns.
This dependency, which is east of the main house, is brick and has been
renovated with a mansard-style roof covered on the top with tar-paper and
on the sides with slate. The portico, which collapsed when the original
roof rotted, between 1957 and 1968, was never replaced. The brick walls
and west elevation windows and door are original. A small wooden side
NP9 I'- I 0-800,,,a
(Nil
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number _ . Page _
addition was built as extra living space in the 1970s and the brickwork
has been stuccoed. A covered loggia was built of pine beams and a flat·
wooden roof, covered with tar paper, between this dependency and the
kitchen adjoining the main house. The building in no way resembles its
original configuration, and it is the intention of the current owner to
restore this building as it originally looked. West of the house was
another dependency with a portico, but it was frame. It was struck by
lightning in 1987 and burned to the ground. It is considered a
contributing site.
The fourth contributing building is an old corncrib of frame with a gable
roof that was originally clad in tin. This building, which is north of
the house, seems to date from about the 1850s, and is currently being
restored.
Another site, the foundation of a late-nineteenth century spring house,
is across the old carriage road, northeast of the house. A noncontributing
well cover north of the old kitchen has been built of cedar
posts and covered with cedar shingles by the current owners to resemble
one that can be seen in old photographs. The pump and cement base
probably date to the early twentieth or late nineteenth century.
Although Monticola suffered much deterioration between 1955 and 1968 when
it was not inhabited, both owners since then have labored to return the
house to its original appearance. A non-contributing guest cottage/
garage ha§- been built along the road at the foot of the hill in front of
the house. The current owner is working toward a restoration of the
outbuildings as well as the front porch.
I
---------··-·- ·- ··-----
.;..ij..; ...;--~;-..t;.::a.;..te;.;m.;.;.;;;.e.;...;n.;..t_ o_- -t--S'-1.g .. _n.;...;U...;lc;..;a;;.;.n.;...;c;..;e'----------------------------... --- ·--Certifying
official has considered the significance of this property in relation to other properties:
D nationally D statewide G] locally
Applicable National Register Criteria O A O 8 (r] C OD
Criteria Considerations (Exceptions) DA DB DC OD DE D F D G
Areas of Significance (enter categories from instructions)
Architecture
Significant Person
Daniel James
Emil Otto N
Period of Significance
1853-1911
Cultural Affiliation
N/A
Architect/Builder
Unknown
Significant Oates
18~3
ca . 1887-1894
State significance of property, and justify criteria, criteria considerations, and areas and periods of significance noted above.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
Monticola is an important surviving example of an architecturally
sophisticated antebellum plantation house and setting . It is a landmark
in the Howardsville/Scottsville area and is associated with two leading
Virginia businessmen from the antebellum and post-Civil War era . Built
in 1853, during the heyday of the James River and Kanawha canal and at a
time when the village of Howardsville was becoming a prosperous port as
well as an agricultural and business center, Monticola reflects the
restrained elegance of the Greek Revival period. Sitting atop a small
mountain , this massive brick house, which retains many of its original
architectural features, its park-like rolling landscape, and its original
and restored outbuildings, creates a commanding presence in the
surrounding countryside. Monticola was built by Daniel James Hartsook
and his wife, Elizabeth Hannah Carrington Hartsook, as their permanent
residence after having moved to the Howardsville area in 1841. Hartsook,
a successful merchant, banker, civic leader, and landowner, had become a
prominent, wealthy, and respected figure in Howardsville . He helped
create the prosperity of Howardsville and contributed financially to the
Confederate cause . He built a large, elegant, yet simple plantation for
his family and ran it successfully until his death in 1879. Surrounded '
by lush trees, boxwood groves, and manicured grounds, Monticola is today
a reminder of antebellum and post-Civil War Virginia.
JUSTIFICATION OF CRITERIA
Monticola is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under
Criteria c as a distinguished example of a Greek Revival antebellum
plantation house along the James River . Monticola is a fine example of a
style thought desirable by a man who was a successful and prosperous
landowner, as well as a merchant, banker, and real estate speculator.Its
remaining architectural features make Monticola stand out as an
architecturally significant landmark in the Howardsville/Scottsville
townships and in Albemarle County .
Ix] See continuation sheet
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8"-- Page ---=2 _
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In 1852 John Fowles sold the land upon which Monticola stands to Daniel
J. Hartsook. This tract, which included 385 1/4 acres of land and
buildings valued at $JOO, was bounded approximately by the James River
and Kanawha Canal on the south, Rockhouse Branch on the east, privatelyowned
land on the north, and the Howardsville Turnpike on the west.
Hartsook apparently demolished the structures then standing and
constructed Monticola in 18531 Two years later he made additional
improvements to the property.
Daniel James Hartsook and his wife, Elizabeth Hannah Carrington Hartsook
had moved to Howardsville in 1841, shortly after their marriage.
Hartsook immediately began making what would be the first of his two
fortunes. Hartsook continued to buy land around Monticola and by 1870
Monticola consisted of 791 acres. The house retains much of its original
appearance on the south or main elevation and a two-story co2onial
Revival porch was added to the north elevation in the 1890s.
Hartsook and a neighboring landowne3, W. A. Turner, opened the Bank of
Howardsville between 1854 and 1856, and the James River Life Insurance
Company in 1860. Hartsook successfully ran both of these companies
through most of the hard times caused by the civil War. He had his own
mercantile business and acted as executor for several large estates,
including oie belonging to his late mothe5-in-law, Mary A. Cabell
Carrington, daughter of Nigholas Cabell, who had died while living
with the Hartsooks in 1850.
The Hartsooks had n4ne children--at least three were born while they
lived at Monticola. Their oldest son, Benjamin Carrington Hartsook,
enlisted in Company D, 19th Virginia Infantry, known as the "Howardsville
Grays," and served from April 1861 until August 1862, when sickness
forceg him to "buy" a replacement, resign from the service, and return
home.
The Civil War caught up with Howardsville and Monticola on 6 March 1865
when two brigades from Union General Philip Sheridan's cavalry under
command of Major General Wesley Merritt raided Howardsville, destroying
the canal and many of Hartsook's warehouses, his mill, and other
businesses. Monticola was raided, but not destroyed, and Merritt most
likely u~ed the well-situated house and grounds as headquarters and
lookout.
After the war and the devastation to Howardsville cost Hartsook his
properity, he moved his family to Richmond where he rebuilt his lost
fortune with his mercantile business, insurance, and real estate
investments. There he gained new prominence and respect. He maintained
,N.P .9. , Fo nn 10-9004
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8_ Page_3
Monticola as a summer retreat and as a 1ijorking farm, probably using
tenant farmers to work and oversee it.
Hartsook died on 14 March 1879 at age sixty-five years. He left no will
but a massive amount of personal and business debts and affairs that took
more than four years and a lawsuit to settle. Monticola and Hartsook's
other real estate were auctioned in 1882. His oldest son, Benjamin,
purchased Monticola and lived there with his family for five years, but
eventually went bankrupt and returned to Richmond.
In 1887 Benjamin Hartsook sold ,2nticola and 456 acres to businessman
Emil Otto Nolting, of Richmond. Nolting, who had made his fortune in
the tobacco trade, purchased the estate as a summer retreat for his large
family. He made several changes to the house. The second-story porch
was removed from the portico on the south facade, necessitating the
replacement of the original two levels of columns with four two-story
columns. The Chippendale railing of the first floor porch was replaced
with simple balusters. Slate replaced the tin roof and the cupola was
enlarged. The semicircular porch was added to the north elevation and,
possibly, the kitchen was made accessible from the mansion by cutting a
door from the dining parlor into the breezeway portico that is now a
butler's pantry.
Nolting not only was a successful tobacco tycoon, he also ran two banks
and a steamship company and served as consul to Belgium for which he was
knighted by the king of that country. Nolting served as consul for 12 forty-one years, the longest such appointment in Belgium's history.
E. o. Nolting died in 1894 and left his estate to his wife and family.
Monticola continued to serve as a summer home until 1911 when the
Noltings1~equeathed the estate to one of E. o. Nolting's daughters, Emily
Nolting. "Miss Emily," as she was known in Howardsville, made
Monticola her permanent residence and lived there alone, with two or
three servants, from 1911 until her death in 1955. The old estate, badly
run down and in need of repair, was sold by her sister, Dr. Margaret
Nolting, and was subsequently unoccupied until 1968. All but forty acres
of the property, which by then amounted to 471 acres, was sold t24 Continental Can as forestry land by Dr. Nolting in 1955 as well.
In 1968 Monticola was purchased by Gerald Wilson and Paul Paquette, who
for the next nineteen years lived in and restored the main house and two
dependencies and repaired the smokehouse. In 1987 Akwenasa, Inc., a
nonprofit educational corporation, purchased Monticola and is currently
involved in further restoration fo the buildings and grounds.
1. Albemarle County, Deed Book 51, 1852-1853, Reel 24, pp. 11-
12, deed written 21 August 1852 and recorded 1 September 1852,
Virginia State Library and Archives, Richmond, Va. (VSL&A);
NP8 ieorm 1().IOO,t
(Me)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number -~8- Page 4_
""'' Apptrwlll No. '°''""°''
Auditor of Public Accounts, Land Tax Books, Albemarle County,
1853-1857, VSL&A. The boundaries of the tract are fairly obvious
when compared to a modern topographic map. The 1854 land tax
book shows an increase to $3,000 for buildings over the previous
year ($300) and carries the marginal notation "$3000 added for
Improvements." The value of the buildings rises only to $4,000,
however, suggesting that the note is in error and should read
$500. In 1857 (and in subsequent years) the value of the
buildings is given, without explanation, as $3,500 once more.
Real property was reassessed state-wide in 1856; perhaps Hartsook
negotiated with his assessor.
2. oral interviews and family papers from D. J. Hartsook's
descendants.
3. Deed Book 55, pp. 197, 262, 325, 440; Deed Book 56, pp. 62,
77, 254, Albemarle County Courthouse.
4. oral interviews.
5. Brown, Alexander. The Cabells and Their Kin. Harrisonburg:
c. J, carrier Company, 1978, p. 296.
6, Ibid., p. 296.
7. Ibid., p. 666.
8. Confederate War Records, Archives, Richmond Public Library.
9. Moore, Virginia. Scottsville on the James. Charlottesville:
The Jarman Press, 1969, p. 83,
10. oral interviews and family papers from D. J, Hartsook's
descendants.
11, Deed Book 175, pp. 482-483, Albemarle County Courthouse.
12. Oral interviews and family papers, E. o. Nolting descendants.
13, Deed Book 88, p. 575, Albemarle County Courthouse.
14, Deed Book 332, p. 468, Albemarle County Courthouse.
9. Major Blbllographlcal ReferencH
Albemarle county, Deed Book 51, 1852-1853, Reel 24, Virginia
State Library and Archives (VSL&A).
Albemarle County, Deed Books 55, 56, 88, 175, and 332, Albemarle
County Courthouse.
Auditor of Public Accounts, Land Tax Books, Albemarle County,
1853-1857, VSL&A.
Brown, Alexander. The Cabells and Their Kin. Harrisonburg: c. J.
Carrier Company, 1978, first edition, 1895.
Confederate War Records, Archives, Richmond Public Library.
Interviews and family papers, Hartsook and Nolting families.
Moore, Virginia. Scottsville on the James. Charlottesville: The
Jarman Press, 1969.
Prtvlou1 docum1nt1tlon on m, (NPS):
D prellmlnary determination of lndlvldual Hating (315 CFR 157)
h11 b11n r1qu11ted §pr1 vlou1iy ll1ted In tht National Re;l1t1r
prevloualy determined ellglble by tht Natlonal R1gl1ter
daalgnated a National Hlatorlc Landmark
recorded by Hlatorlc American Bulldlng1
Survey#---------------- 0 recorded by Historic American Engln11rlng
Record '----------------
1 O. Geographical Data
0 Stt continuation 1h11t
Primary locatlon of 1ddltlonal data: 8Sta te hl1tortc prea,rvatlon office
Other Stat, agency
Federal agency § Local government
Untv1r1lty
Other
Specify repotltory:
VA Dept. of Historic Resources
221 Governor Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Acreage of propeny 4_ 0---'-a_c_res _____
UTM References
A l..L.lJ I 71 Or 71318101
Zone Easting
C LL..1.J I 7101 71319101
14,117,918,2101
Northing
14,1111 912 1 1 1 01
B l...!..LZJ 17!0171611,01 j41 117191512101
Zone Easting Northing
o LL.2J 17101 6! 91 51 01 141 lj 71 9161 41 01
(!] See continuation sheet
Verbal Boundary Description
•.. all that certain tract or parcel of land known as the Mansion House Tract of
Monticola containing 40 acres situated in Scottsville Magisterial District of Albemarle
County, Virginia, more particularly described by plat of survey entitled "March 20, ,
1957: Surveyed for Dr. Margaret Nolting ••• " Deed Book 336, page 364, Albemarle County.·
0 See continuation sheet
Boundary Justification
The nomination includes all remaining property historically associated with Monticola.
0 See continuation sheet
11, Form Prepared By
nameJtltle Douglas Schneider I edited by Sarah S. Driggs and John Salmon
organization Akwenasa, Inc. date 2 Ma v 1990
ltl'Ht & number ..R. .a.... 1..1. .t.. . e. -60:w.Z---------------telephone (804) 286-2746
city or town Hawardsyille state Virginia zlp code 24562
•U.S.QP0:1 IH·O•Ul•I 11
NPS Form 10-900-a
(8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONTINUATION SHEET
Section 7 & 8 Page _8_
0MB No. 1024-0018
Monticola, #002-0051
Albemarle County, Virginia
Monticola was originally listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register on 4/18/1989 and in the National Register of
Historic Places on 6/22/1990.
March 2008: Updated information based on 2005 survey for the Southern Albemarle Rural Historic
District:
4336 Monticola Road 002-0051 Other OHR Id#: 002-5045-1590
Primary Resource Information: Single Dwelling, Stories 2.00, Style: Greek Revival, ca 1853
Architecture Summary: Monticola, A three-story, eight-thousand-square-foot, James River plantation house in
Howardsville, Virginia, represents one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture along the James
River. The house is situated on forty of its original 791 acres at the top of a small mountain to the north of the
Village of Howardsville, at the base of Mount Alto. The estate rests in a park-like setting of rolling hills, open
pastures, dense woods, and manicured lawns. Built in 1853 as the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel James
Hartsook, the house retains much of its original appearance, and includes several original outbuildings. From
the cupola atop the house one has a panoramic view of the estate and the surrounding countryside, which
includes three counties: Albemarle, Nelson, and Buckingham, and, in the distance, the hazy outline of the Blue
Ridge Mountains. The nominated area includes four contributing buildings: The house and three outbuildings;
two contributing sites; one non-contributing structure; and two non-contributing buildings--a severely altered
dependency and a modern one-bedroom guest cottage. For more information see the national register
nomination. In 2006 it was being restored.
The contributing and non-contributing status of these resources is based on the Southern Albemarle Rural
Historic District nomination Areas of Significance (AGRICULTURE, ARCHITECTURE, ARCHAEOLOGY:
HISTORIC, COMMERCE, COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, CONSERVATION, EDUCATION,
ENGINEERING, ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION, ETHNIC HERITAGE: BLACK,
EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT, INDUSTRY, POLITICS/GOVERNMENT, SOCIAL HISTORY,
TRANSPORTATION) with a Period of Significance from 1729 to ca. 1955.
Individual Resource Status: Single Dwelling Contributing Total: 1
Individual Resource Status: Kitchen Contributing Total: 1
Individual Resource Status: Smoke/Meat House Contributing Total: 1
Individual Resource Status: Ice House Contributing Total: 1
Individual Resource Status: Shed Contributing Total: 1
Individual Resource Status: Pavilion Non-Contributing Total: 1
Individual Resource Status: Well Non-Contributing Total: 1
Individual Resource Status: Log Building Contributing Total: 1
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number lo_ _ Page ---'1'--_
PART 10 -- VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION
SURVEY PLAT -- MONTICOLA
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r.laroh 20, 19S7; SURVEYED FOR on. !iAm:1ARl"T NOLTiilG, A PAnT OF "MONTICOLA•·.i.·
• INCLUDI:rn r,1ANSI0?1 HOUSE, LOCATED NEAii, HOWA;:1DSVILLE, IN ALB&'iARLE, COUNTY;;,,
BY: CARROLL GILLISPIE, C.L.s., s. B. c. •,'!,
VIRGINIA:
IN THE CLF.RX'S OFFICE OF ALB!:::'1.ARLE Cil1CUtT COURT, December 2, 1957. ;.,·.
This deed vaa presented to me in soid office and with cartlticate annex,dfL
admitted to record at 2,40 P. M. And $13.75 stamp nnd plat attached.
Tasto: -~.
. " , Clerk}
HOWARDSVILLE QUADRANGLE
VIRGINIA
7.5 MINUTE SERIES (TOPOGRAPHIC)
NW/4 BUCKINOHAM 15' QUADRANOLE
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41]8

Recent Improvements

Monticola has been restored to its former grandeur!
This 6,800 square foot Greek Revival mansion sits on 292 acres above the James River in historic Howardsville. Restoration work has been completed on every aspect of the home. Frazier Associates of Staunton, Virginia designed the renovation plans, successfully following the guidelines of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Modern convenience has been gained without losing historic integrity.
Like the exterior and grounds, the interior of the home has undergone meticulous renovation. The home features 12 rooms (four on each level), 12 fireplaces, three bathrooms, a powder room and a large laundry room.
The glowing Heart Pine floors have been refinished throughout the home. The once dirt and cement ground level now has Heart Pine floors as well.
The kitchen has been relocated to the main level and features Soapstone countertops and exceptional appliances. A pantry and dumbwaiter have been added. The other main rooms
have been fully renovated and feature 10-foot ceilings and pocket doors.
Originally, the upper level had four 18’ x 18’ bedrooms. At one time, one of the bedrooms had two small baths added. Now the upper level features three bedrooms and two large baths. A fourth bedroom and full bath have been added on the ground level.