{"nrhp_refnum":"05001160","name":"ELVA C (Deck Boat)","other_names":["DHR File No. 066-5048"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"504 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reedville","county":"Northumberland County","state":"VA","lat":37.844122636000066,"lon":-76.27592275799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 55.5-foot wooden Chesapeake Bay deck boat built in 1922 by Gilbert White, now moored in Cockrell's Creek beside the Reedville Fishermen's Museum in Reedville, Northumberland County, Virginia.","why_significant":"The boat is argued to be an excellent example of a wooden Chesapeake Bay deck boat, notable for its chunk stern, a hallmark of builder Gilbert White. Deck boats carried freight, food and seafood across the Bay in the early twentieth century and served Reedville's menhaden fishing industry. Few wooden deck boats survive because of the upkeep they demand.","narrative":"Elva C. is a wooden deck boat of the kind that once carried cargo and catches around the Chesapeake Bay. Gilbert White, a noted Virginia boat builder, completed her in 1922 in three months, using Georgia heart pine. She measures 55.5 feet long with a 13.5-foot beam, and has a cross-planked, deadrise hull. Her chunk stern, made of curved planks wrapped horizontally and rounded with an adz, was a hallmark of White's work. She hauled freight and worked pound-net fishing, and at one time carried watermelons from North Carolina to Baltimore. Three owners operated her until 1995. Volunteers then restored her, replacing worn parts and installing a rebuilt diesel engine. She now lies beside the Reedville Fishermen's Museum, which uses her to teach visitors about deck boats. She was listed for her role in Bay transportation and as a well-preserved example of the type and its builder's craft.","period_of_significance":"1922-1955","architect_builder":"Gilbert White","architectural_style":"Other - 20th Century Chesapeake Bay Deck Boat","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Owned and maintained by the Reedville Fishermen's Museum and displayed for educational purposes; restoration began in 1995 and rebuilt parts include the bow stem, deck beams, planking, gunwales, stern and engine.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.803781-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/14/6823/41682314/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/05001160.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001160/d64df23319-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001160/d64df23319-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elva_C_at_Reedville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elva_C_at_Reedville.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84003556","name":"Reedville Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/reedville-historic-district-84003556/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682314","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elva_C","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15216513"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/northumberland-county/elva-c-deck-boat-05001160/"}