{"nrhp_refnum":"80004215","name":"Liberia","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8700 Centreville Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Manassas","county":"Prince William County","state":"VA","lat":38.76636300100006,"lon":-77.46017663232617,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Liberia is a two-story, five-bay brick Federal-style farmhouse at 8700 Centreville Road in Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia, built around 1825 by William Weir on a 52-acre hilltop setting.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its architecture, fine interior trim and excellent state of preservation. It originated on land from the Carter family patents and is one of the few surviving Carter houses in the region. It served as headquarters for both Confederate and Union commanders during the Civil War and was visited by Presidents Davis and Lincoln.","narrative":"Liberia is a two-story, five-bay brick farmhouse on a tree-planted hill in Manassas, built about 1825 by William Weir. His wife was a granddaughter of Robert \"King\" Carter, and the house stands on land from the Carter family's vast Northern Neck patents. Its brick is laid in Flemish bond on the front, with parapet gable ends, a molded saw-tooth cornice and a fanlighted doorway. Inside, a keyed elliptical arch, an open-string stair and reeded mantels show the quality of its Federal woodwork. Liberia is one of only two surviving Carter houses of about a dozen in the region. During the Civil War, Generals Beauregard, McDowell and Sickles used it as headquarters, and Presidents Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln visited. Later owner Robert Portner, a brewer, installed his farm manager there. A 52-acre setting was nominated to protect the house's approach and surroundings, and the city has also designated it a local historic zone.","period_of_significance":"c. 1825","architect_builder":"William Weir (builder, per statement of significance)","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as occupied and in excellent state of preservation, with the owner living in the restored house; surrounding land was expected to be developed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.768638-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/37/6827/41682737/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/80004215.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004215/701cac3932-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004215/701cac3932-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LIBERIA,_PRINCE_WILLIAM_COUNTY.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LIBERIA,_PRINCE_WILLIAM_COUNTY.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682737","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia_(Manassas,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15242314"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/prince-william-county/liberia-80004215/"}