{"nrhp_refnum":"74002139","name":"Westerhouse House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W of Bridgetown off VA 619","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bridgetown","county":"Northampton County","state":"VA","lat":37.44913317050006,"lon":-75.96912082388886,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-11-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story brick farmhouse on the west bank of Westerhouse Creek, near Bridgetown on Church Neck in Northampton County, Virginia, dated by stylistic analysis to around 1700.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding and exceptionally rare example of Stuart-period Southern vernacular architecture. Its hall-parlor plan, steep gable roof, asymmetrical openings and massive pyramidal-based end chimney reflect English medieval cottage prototypes. Fewer than a half dozen similar Eastern Shore structures from the period remain, and none has secured preservation.","narrative":"Westerhouse is a small, one-story brick farmhouse on the west bank of Westerhouse Creek near Bridgetown, on Church Neck in Northampton County. Built around 1700 according to stylistic analysis, it has a steep gable roof, Flemish bond brickwork with glazed headers, and a simple hall-parlor plan with asymmetrical openings. Its east end chimney, with a heavy pyramidal base, long sloping tiled weatherings and a squat free-standing stack, is a distinctive regional feature shared by fewer than a half dozen surviving Eastern Shore structures of the period. The house takes its name from the Westerhouse family, established in the county in 1661 and owners until the late eighteenth century. Adrian Westerhouse, or his son William, probably built it. Although altered and badly deteriorated, it keeps its essential character and could be restored. It was recognized as an exceptionally rare surviving example of early Southern vernacular building, with no trace of the classical influence found in later Georgian houses.","period_of_significance":"18th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Stuart-period Southern vernacular farmhouse (hall-parlor plan)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered and much deteriorated, but said to retain its essential character and be capable of restoration; listed as unoccupied.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.07358-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/22/6822/41682222/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/74002139.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682222","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerhouse_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16903136"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/northampton-county/westerhouse-house-74002139/"}