{"nrhp_refnum":"70000829","name":"Chester","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of jct. of Rtes. 625 and 35","address_restricted":false,"city":"Homeville","county":"Sussex County","state":"VA","lat":36.97202914500008,"lon":-77.17938655099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-12-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Chester is a massive two-story frame farmhouse near Homeville in Sussex County, Virginia, believed to have been built in 1773 for John Sledge. It has a gable roof and a side-hall plan.","why_significant":"The nomination argues Chester has one of the finest and most massive sets of coupled exterior chimney stacks in Virginia, joined by pent closets on two levels, a rare feature. It is also a well-preserved Southside colonial farmhouse with nearly all of its original interior woodwork.","narrative":"Chester is a large two-story frame farmhouse in rural Sussex County, near Homeville, Virginia. It is believed to date from 1773, because a brick in the chimneys bears that date. John Sledge, the first owner, sold it in 1777, and later owners included Captain Nathaniel Dunn and Captain William Harrison, whose son added a wing in the 1820s. The house stayed in the Harrison family until 1871. Its most notable feature is a pair of exterior chimney stacks joined by pent closets on both floors, laid in Flemish bond with glazed headers and carried on a semicircular vault. Connections on two levels are rare, and only Chester and Waterville in King William County are thought to preserve such colonial examples in Virginia. Inside, nearly all the original woodwork survives, including paneled chimney pieces with fluted pilasters. Fields and woodlands still surround the house, and renovation followed a period of neglect.","period_of_significance":"18th and 19th centuries (specific date 1773)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition rated fair; undergoing renovation after a period of neglect. Used as a private residence.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.738782-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/6839/41683930/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/70000829.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000829/b6c1c90a6e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000829/b6c1c90a6e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chester_near_Homeville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chester_near_Homeville.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683930","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_(Homeville,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15209538"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/sussex-county/chester-70000829/"}