{"nrhp_refnum":"07000931","name":"Cool Well","other_names":["042-0248"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8198 Shady Grove Rd,","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mechanicsville","county":"Hanover County","state":"VA","lat":37.62684573700005,"lon":-77.37596260699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Cool Well is a small one-and-a-half-story frame Tidewater cottage at 8198 Shady Grove Road near Mechanicsville in eastern Hanover County, Virginia, built about 1834-1835 for Benjamin Hazelgrove.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a good example of a Federal-style vernacular Tidewater dwelling that was once common in the county but is now rare and threatened by suburban development. Its interior mantels, with engaged columns, match those in four other nearby houses, suggesting a shared craftsman. Its probable use as a tavern adds to its rarity.","narrative":"Cool Well is a small, one-and-a-half-story frame house on Shady Grove Road in eastern Hanover County, Virginia, built about 1834-1835 for Benjamin Hazelgrove, a tavern keeper, farmer and slaveholder. It has three bays, a brick raised foundation, two exterior-end brick chimneys and original beaded weatherboards beneath newer siding. Inside, a central-passage plan, wide-board wainscot, batten doors and surviving mantels remain. The mantels, with engaged columns supporting a plain shelf, closely resemble those in several nearby houses, including Laurel Meadow and Rural Plains, which suggests one builder whose name is not known. The house is considered a representative example of Federal-style vernacular architecture and of the Tidewater cottage type, which was once common in the county but has become scarce as development spreads. Although no conclusive record proves it was Hazelgrove's tavern, his association with the property strongly suggests that it served as one. The house is currently vacant.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1834/35 - 1882","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Early Republic - Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant, not in use. The house has rear additions and a modern non-contributing garage, but retains much original interior fabric.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.525743-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/44/6811/41681144/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/07000931.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000931/c59e18d837-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000931/c59e18d837-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Nickmorgan2","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cool_Well.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Nickmorgan2</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cool_Well.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681144","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Well","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712205"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/hanover-county/cool-well-07000931/"}