{"nrhp_refnum":"74002117","name":"Gloucester Women's Club","other_names":["Long Bridge Ordinary"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"On U.S. 17","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gloucester","county":"Gloucester County","state":"VA","lat":37.41233782000006,"lon":-76.51947431699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-01-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Commerce","Industry","Social History","Historic - Non-Aboriginal"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A frame, one-and-a-half-story, three-bay colonial building in Gloucester Court House, Gloucester County, Virginia, on US 19, thought to date from the mid-eighteenth century and now the headquarters of the Gloucester Woman's Club, also known as Long Bridge Ordinary.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a fine example of mid-eighteenth century Virginia vernacular architecture, with a closed-string stair, early batten doors and well-preserved colonial window sashes. It sits at the junction of two early roads and is a familiar landmark to Tidewater travelers. The club's purchase and use of the building is described as an important early example of adaptive preservation of a historic landmark.","narrative":"Set against a small hill at the junction of two early roads in Gloucester Court House, this small frame building has long served as a landmark for Tidewater travelers. Architectural analysis supports a mid-eighteenth century date, although county records were destroyed during the Civil War and its early ownership cannot be documented. Tradition calls it Long Bridge Ordinary, but the nomination notes that the evidence for a tavern is uncertain. Its large single rooms and prominent location suggest a commercial purpose. In the 1830s it was a store, later housed a blacksmith shop and a dressmaker's shop, and in 1913 was acquired by the Gloucester Agricultural Association. The Gloucester Woman's Club rented the basement, then bought the building and nearly an acre in 1919. Notable features include a closed-string stair with turned balusters, early batten doors, original roof framing and colonial window sashes. The grounds hold an eighteenth-century style garden laid out in 1966. The club's preservation of the building is cited as an early example of adaptive reuse.","period_of_significance":"18th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-eighteenth century Virginia vernacular (colonial)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as well preserved and well maintained, in good condition, occupied and used as a woman's club headquarters.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.606866-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/6809/41680932/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/74002117.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002117/4ef8b0551e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002117/4ef8b0551e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jet Lowe","credit_html":"Jet Lowe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gloucester_Women%27s_Club,_U.S._Route_17_%26_State_Route_14,_Gloucester_(Gloucester_County,_Virginia).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"10001063","name":"Gloucester Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/gloucester-downtown-historic-district-10001063/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680932","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester_Women%27s_Club","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712377"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/gloucester-county/gloucester-womens-club-74002117/"}