{"nrhp_refnum":"02000318","name":"Laughton","other_names":["VDHR file no. 32-96"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 623","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kents Store","county":"Fluvanna County","state":"VA","lat":37.89667958150005,"lon":-78.11256640519676,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-04-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Laughton is a frame yeoman planter's house in northeast Fluvanna County, Virginia, near Kents Store. Begun about 1785, it was enlarged in the late 18th century and again in 1836, 1842 and 1976, and sits on about 27 acres with a family cemetery.","why_significant":"It is argued to be significant under Criterion C for architecture, as a fine example of a small 18th-century frame planter's house enlarged over time to suit a growing family. Its most notable feature is a double-shouldered Flemish-bond chimney with paved weatherings and diapering. The large cemetery enclosed by a granite wall adds to the property.","narrative":"Laughton is a frame planter's house in northeast Fluvanna County, Virginia, begun about 1785 when David Shepherd bought 225 acres near Byrd Creek. The original 1½-story core was extended near the end of the 18th century, then enlarged with a two-story section by 1836, a one-story room in 1842, and a further room in 1976. Its best-known feature is a double-shouldered Flemish-bond chimney with glazed header lines, paved weatherings and some diapering. Inside, beaded pine beams, wainscoting and a large fireplace survive in the oldest rooms. The grounds include a boxwood alley about 20 feet tall, the foundation of an outdoor kitchen now within an herb garden, and the Shepherd family cemetery, enclosed by a granite wall built in the 1880s and holding at least 13 burials. The house stood close to the Three-Notched Road. It was listed for architecture because it shows, more picturesquely than most, how small 18th-century plantation houses grew with their families.","period_of_significance":"1785-1950","architect_builder":"unkown (stated as unknown in the form)","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Used as a single dwelling with a cemetery; restoration begun in 1975 by the current owners continues.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.301447-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/16/6807/41680716/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/02000318.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000318/31ca0f860b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000318/31ca0f860b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laughton_driveway_from_Perkins_Road.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laughton_driveway_from_Perkins_Road.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680716","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughton_(Kents_Store,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712690"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/fluvanna-county/laughton-02000318/"}