{"nrhp_refnum":"73002068","name":"Porto Bello","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"On Queens Creek, in Camp Peary Military Reservation","address_restricted":false,"city":"Williamsburg","county":"York County","state":"VA","lat":37.30117894800006,"lon":-76.6449250286853,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small brick house on a wooded hill on the north bank of Queens Creek, near Williamsburg in York County, Virginia, on the Camp Peary Military Reservation. The present house probably dates from about 1800 and stands on the site of Lord Dunmore's country plantation.","why_significant":"Porto Bello was the country retreat and hunting lodge of Lord Dunmore, Virginia's last royal governor. He took refuge here in July 1775 and fled from approaching patriots. The nomination presents the site as an important landmark of Virginia's move toward independence, and notes that archaeology might clarify whether the present house or a nearby depression marks Dunmore's dwelling.","narrative":"Porto Bello is a small brick house on a wooded hill above Queens Creek, about six miles from Williamsburg, on land now part of the Camp Peary Military Reservation. Local tradition links it to Lord Dunmore, Virginia's last royal governor, who bought the plantation in 1773 and used it as a country retreat and hunting lodge. Features of the present house suggest a date near 1800, and the Bright family, owners from 1779 for about fifty years, probably built it. A fire in 1915 left only the walls standing, and the house was rebuilt inside them with a mansard roof replacing the earlier clipped gambrel. In July 1775 Dunmore dined here, then fled by boat as armed patriots approached from Williamsburg. The site is valued as a landmark of Virginia's road to independence. A shallow depression north of the house may mark Dunmore's earlier dwelling, and archaeology could settle the question. The house is now unoccupied.","period_of_significance":"18th Century and 19th Century (checked on the form; no specific dates given)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Unoccupied but fairly stable, receiving minimum maintenance from the U.S. military; condition marked fair and altered. The interior was rebuilt after a 1915 fire.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.470519-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/6842/41684255/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/73002068.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002068/29c92b6690-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002068/29c92b6690-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porto_Bello_lodge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porto_Bello_lodge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41684255","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto_Bello_(Williamsburg,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7232144"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/york-county/porto-bello-73002068/"}