{"nrhp_refnum":"78003006","name":"Chapel Hill","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E of Mint Spring on VA 654","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mint Spring","county":"Augusta County","state":"VA","lat":38.066407294000044,"lon":-79.07227966792448,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick I-house built ca. 1834 among farmlands in southeastern Augusta County, Virginia, near Mint Spring, with early outbuildings and a hillside setting, built by John Knight Churchman.","why_significant":"The house combines a vernacular Valley of Virginia plan and German-influenced plastered window arches with stylish early 19th-century features such as elliptical fanlights, three-part windows and a facade pavilion. Its exceptionally rare, well-preserved French scenic wallpaper, 'Le Petit Decas', makes it one of the most distinguished Federal residences in Augusta County.","narrative":"Chapel Hill is a two-story brick I-house built around 1834 in the farmlands of southeastern Augusta County, Virginia. John Knight Churchman developed the tract after buying it in 1826 and named the house for a nearby Episcopal chapel built on his land in 1831. The three-bay house has Flemish bond brickwork on its front, a central pedimented pavilion with elliptical fanlights, and triple windows topped by blind plastered arches that reflect German-derived Valley building habits. Inside, the west parlor keeps an almost perfectly preserved set of French scenic wallpaper titled 'Le Petit Decas', first published in 1823 and showing garden scenes with gondoliers, fountains and temples. Graining, marbleizing, mantels and a semi-circular stair add to the interior. A late 19th-century wing and a mid-20th-century ell were added. Early outbuildings, including an office, smokehouse and dairy, survive behind the house, along with early 20th-century barns. The property matters as both a typical Valley house and a stylish Federal residence.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"John Knight Churchman (builder)","architectural_style":"Federal; vernacular I-house with Germanic decorative influences and Regency-type motifs","criteria":[],"status_note":"Form lists the property as occupied private property; it has remained in the builder's family and has a late 19th-century wing and a mid-20th-century ell.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.780367-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/73/6796/41679673/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/78003006.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003006/a4848da172-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003006/a4848da172-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chapel_Hill_near_Mint_Spring.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chapel_Hill_near_Mint_Spring.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679673","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_Hill_(Mint_Spring,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712151"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/augusta-county/chapel-hill-78003006/"}