{"nrhp_refnum":"73001995","name":"Folly","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S of Staunton on U.S. 11","address_restricted":false,"city":"Staunton","county":"Augusta County","state":"VA","lat":38.08944830450005,"lon":-79.10125093085597,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-10-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Folly is a plantation complex about five miles south of Staunton in Augusta County, Virginia, centered on a one-story brick Jeffersonian-style house with full basement, begun in 1818, plus outbuildings, gardens and serpentine brick walls.","why_significant":"The nomination calls Folly an architecturally significant and excellently preserved Jeffersonian-style house in an unspoiled plantation setting. Its brick serpentine walls are described as the only early-nineteenth-century example of that form remaining in Virginia. Although no documents show Jefferson designed it, the house closely resembles his-designed Edgemont and reflects his influence.","narrative":"Folly is a plantation five miles south of Staunton, set on a ridge above rolling pastureland in the Shenandoah Valley. Its centerpiece is a one-story brick house with a full basement, begun in 1818 on land held by Joseph Smith. A tetrastyle pedimented portico with stuccoed Tuscan columns fronts the east side, and the walls are laid in fine Flemish bond. A low service wing, said by family tradition to be the earliest part, extends south, and an addition was made in 1856. Interior features include marble mantels bought in 1821 from a Philadelphia merchant. Nearby stand a springhouse, smokehouse and icehouse, along with a garden enclosed by original brick serpentine walls. The house reflects Thomas Jefferson's interpretation of Palladian design, though no documents show he took part in it. The serpentine walls are the only early-nineteenth-century examples of the form left in Virginia. The property has remained with Smith's descendants, and farming continues.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1818)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Jeffersonian style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in good condition, unaltered in essential early-nineteenth-century character, occupied as a private residence, with farming continuing on the property.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.951793-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/6796/41679655/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/73001995.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001995/b183d541d0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001995/b183d541d0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"unknown HABS photographer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folly_Farm_HABS_VA1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">unknown HABS photographer</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folly_Farm_HABS_VA1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679655","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly_(Staunton,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712323"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/augusta-county/folly-73001995/"}