{"nrhp_refnum":"08000068","name":"Auburn","other_names":["VDHR No.023-0002"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"17736 Auburn Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brandy Station","county":"Culpeper County","state":"VA","lat":38.505786861000075,"lon":-77.92698009006563,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-02-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Architecture","Politics/Government","Military","Black"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Auburn is a farm complex about one-and-a-half miles northwest of Brandy Station in Culpeper County, Virginia, centered on a Greek Revival frame house built about 1855-1856 for James A. Beckham, with a brick kitchen and farm outbuildings on about 425 acres.","why_significant":"The nomination cites the house as an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture with high integrity, and the farm's barns and outbuildings as examples of agricultural architecture. It is also tied to Virginia politician John Minor Botts, who lived there from 1863 until his death in 1869, and to Civil War activity in the area, with Union officers visiting and encamping nearby.","narrative":"Auburn is a working farm northwest of Brandy Station in Culpeper County, Virginia, set against the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its centerpiece is a three-story frame Greek Revival house built about 1855-1856 for James A. Beckham, with a monumental two-story portico, a central-passage plan and well-preserved Greek Revival interior woodwork. A one-room brick kitchen behind the house dates from the same period. Barns, a corncrib, silos, a meat house, a chicken house, a garage and two tenant houses reflect a farming operation that continued into the twentieth century, mainly after the Ratrie family bought the property in 1915. The property is also linked to John Minor Botts, a nationally known Virginia politician who lived at Auburn from 1863 until his death in 1869. During the Civil War he hosted Union officers and complained often to army commanders. The farm is recognized for its architecture, its agricultural buildings, and these political and military associations.","period_of_significance":"1855-1955","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a single dwelling with agricultural outbuildings, storage and fields; the house retains a very high degree of architectural integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.552356-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/87/6802/41680287/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/08000068.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000068/7f77c9b965-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000068/7f77c9b965-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Timothy H. O'Sullivan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Botts_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Timothy H. O'Sullivan</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Botts_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680287","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_(Brandy_Station,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14711986"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/culpeper-county/auburn-08000068/"}