{"nrhp_refnum":"82004668","name":"Persinger House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 788","address_restricted":false,"city":"Covington","county":"Alleghany County","state":"VA","lat":37.717867401000035,"lon":-80.05918817099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-07-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Other","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story log and frame farmhouse on the bank of Potts Creek, off State Route 788 south of Covington, Alleghany County, Virginia. The original log section dates to the last quarter of the 18th century and was enlarged in 1888.","why_significant":"It is one of the oldest and best known pioneer dwellings in Alleghany County and is tied to its builder, Jacob Persinger, whose childhood capture by Indians and later life became regional folklore. Architecturally it is an interesting vernacular house, with a vertically paneled walnut partition that uses beveled joints, a feature rarely seen in simple log houses of western Virginia.","narrative":"Set beside Potts Creek in the mountains south of Covington, this farmhouse began as a three-bay log dwelling built in the last quarter of the 18th century by Jacob Persinger. In 1888 his relative Lee Persinger enlarged it eastward, giving it a two-story, six-bay form with a gable roof of standing-seam metal, weatherboard siding, and a two-level gallery with cut-out friezes and a Chinese lattice railing. Inside the original hall are a carved walnut Federal mantel, paneled wainscot, and a vertically paneled walnut partition with beveled joints, an unusual detail for a log house in western Virginia. The house matters for both its architecture and its story. Persinger was taken captive by Indians as a child, later preferred Indian ways, and became a figure of local folklore. The house stayed with his descendants until the 1970s. A kitchen outbuilding, a springhouse, and a late 19th-century barn complete the three-acre property.","period_of_significance":"last quarter 18th century; 1888 addition","architect_builder":"Builder: Jacob Persinger (original section); architect unknown; 1888 addition by Lee Persinger","architectural_style":"Vernacular log house with Federal-style interior detailing","criteria":[],"status_note":"Maintained in good condition as rental property; a late 19th-century barn stands nearby.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:58.065371-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/76/6794/41679476/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/82004668.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004668/0a84e1f56e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004668/0a84e1f56e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Persinger_House_from_Llama_Lane.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Persinger_House_from_Llama_Lane.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679476","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persinger_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14713054"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/alleghany-county/persinger-house-82004668/"}