{"nrhp_refnum":"79003080","name":"Stone House","other_names":["Johnston, Zachariah, House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W of Lexington on Ross Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lexington","county":"Rockbridge County","state":"VA","lat":37.77545902450004,"lon":-79.45922153573342,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-05-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-one-half-story, gable-roofed stone dwelling near Lexington in Rockbridge County, Virginia, built in 1797 for Zachariah Johnston by mason John Spear.","why_significant":"The house is a well-preserved example of formal house design in traditional Shenandoah Valley stone construction, with Federal-style fenestration, detailing and plan. It reflects the political standing and landed wealth of Zachariah Johnston, a Revolutionary officer and legislator who championed religious freedom. A signed and dated stone naming owner and builder is a rare feature among Valley stone houses.","narrative":"Built in 1797 on a small rise in the rolling hills outside Lexington, this two-and-one-half-story house is made of irregularly coursed quarried limestone with wooden detailing. It has a five-bay east front with a four-columned portico, 9/6 sash windows under stone jack arches, stone quoins and a modillion cornice. Inside, a central-hall, double-pile plan survives, along with an open-string stair, simple wainscoting and fireplace mantels with carved punch-work ornament. A stone on the south wall bears the date 1797 and the names of the first owner, Zachariah Johnston, and the builder, John Spear, a practice rare among Valley stone houses. Johnston was a Revolutionary officer, Virginia legislator and presidential elector who spoke for the 1785 bill establishing religious freedom. The house is valued for its fine masonry, Federal-style design and craftsmanship, and for reflecting his standing. It has remained in the Johnston family, and the original stone kitchen is now used as a dining room.","period_of_significance":"1797","architect_builder":"John Spear (builder)","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence; condition marked unaltered, and the form says the house has remained in the Johnston family.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.266138-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/24/6834/41683424/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/79003080.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003080/d4372113e5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003080/d4372113e5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stone_House,_State_Route_687,_Lexington_vicinity_(Rockbridge_County,_Virginia).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stone_House,_State_Route_687,_Lexington_vicinity_(Rockbridge_County,_Virginia).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683424","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_House_(Lexington,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16900745"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/rockbridge-county/stone-house-79003080/"}