{"nrhp_refnum":"82004568","name":"Loudoun Agricultural and Mechanical Institute","other_names":["Institute Farm"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 650","address_restricted":false,"city":"Aldie","county":"Loudoun County","state":"VA","lat":39.006878346000036,"lon":-77.65913528421981,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3½-story stone-and-stucco building, with a group of log cabins and wooded grounds, near Aldie in Loudoun County, Virginia. The main building was erected about 1854 for the Loudoun County Agricultural Institute and Chemical Academy.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the building as a reminder of the first agricultural school in Virginia and one of the first schools of scientific agronomy in the United States. It also notes that the property has been the headquarters of the National Beagle Club of America since 1916. The site was once part of James Monroe's Oak Hill estate.","narrative":"Institute Farm sits at the foot of a small hill in a wooded area off Route 650 near Aldie, Loudoun County. Its main building, a 3½-story structure of stucco-covered stone, dates to about 1854 and was built for the Loudoun County Agricultural Institute and Chemical Academy. The school taught mathematics, chemistry and practical science to farmers and businessmen, and is described as the first agricultural school in Virginia and an early school of scientific agronomy in the country. It was incorporated in 1855-56 but failed in 1860. James Gulick, one of its founders, held the property until his death in 1867, and it later passed through other owners. In 1916 the Institute Corporation acquired it as headquarters for the National Beagle Club of America. The club added thirteen log cabins between 1917 and 1971, and still uses the old school for offices, club rooms and a dormitory. The nominated area covers sixteen acres, including the building, cabins and terraced south lawn.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Unknown (built by Benjamin Hyde Benton, Harmon Bitzer, and James Gulick, who erected the building)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in excellent, unaltered condition; the main building is still used for club offices, club rooms and a member dormitory, and the cabins host beagle and basset club events.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.828104-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/35/6815/41681535/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/82004568.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004568/a1be25b481-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004568/a1be25b481-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cecouchman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:InstituteFarmMainBldg1_Loudoun.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cecouchman</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:InstituteFarmMainBldg1_Loudoun.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681535","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_Farm","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6039102"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/loudoun-county/loudoun-agricultural-and-mechanical-institute-82004568/"}