{"nrhp_refnum":"79003053","name":"Elm Hill","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SE of Baskerville off VA 4","address_restricted":false,"city":"Baskerville","county":"Mecklenburg County","state":"VA","lat":36.61069899100005,"lon":-78.29342394799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-07-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large frame plantation house built about 1800 on a hilltop overlooking the Roanoke River, now Lake Gaston, near Baskerville in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. It stands on state-owned land within the Elm Hill State Game Management Area.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the earliest surviving houses in the Roanoke River basin. It is notable for its T-shaped plan, pink sandstone chimneys, fine mantels, chair rails and original sash and interior trim. It is also tied to the family of Sir Peyton Skipwith, who established Prestwould.","narrative":"Elm Hill is a large frame house built around 1800 on a hilltop above the Roanoke River, in an area now covered by Lake Gaston in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. It has a two-story, three-bay central block with one-story wings and a two-story rear ell, forming a T-shaped plan. Massive chimneys of coursed pink sandstone stand at each end of the main block, and the interior retains molded mantels, wainscoting, cornices and an unusual chair rail. Two early smokehouses survive nearby. The house is considered one of the earliest surviving in the Roanoke River basin and is a rare example of a vernacular plantation house of its date. It is also linked to Sir Peyton Skipwith, founder of Prestwould, whose family owned the land. Records suggest his son Peyton Jr. replaced an earlier house with the present one between 1799 and 1801. The house is now vacant and deteriorating.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1800","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The house is described as vacant, untended for over a decade, unused and in a state of deterioration. It is owned by the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.6821-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/6819/41681928/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/79003053.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003053/97b0a88d3e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003053/97b0a88d3e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elm_Hill_driveway.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elm_Hill_driveway.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681928","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elm_Hill_(Baskerville,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712284"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/mecklenburg-county/elm-hill-79003053/"}