{"nrhp_refnum":"85003130","name":"Spring Grove","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 202","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mt. Holly","county":"Westmoreland County","state":"VA","lat":38.08590962350007,"lon":-76.70524311790487,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Spring Grove is a two-story brick farmhouse near the village of Mount Holly in Westmoreland County, Virginia, built in 1834 for Robert Murphy. A kitchen and smokehouse survive on the 27-acre nominated tract.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding, well-preserved example of early 19th-century domestic architecture on Virginia's Northern Neck. Its woodwork and plasterwork draw on Asher Benjamin's pattern books, showing awareness of current Boston trends, while the exterior and outbuilding layout remain conservative. Drawings made in the 1870s by a later owner, William Rodgers, add to its documentation.","narrative":"Spring Grove is a two-story brick farmhouse on the outskirts of Mount Holly in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Robert Murphy, a prosperous local mill owner and later county sheriff, had it built in 1834. The symmetrical five-bay front is sheltered by a dwarf Ionic portico, and the house sits at the end of an oval drive that survives from its construction. Inside, the carved woodwork and plasterwork, including an arched divider in the hall, a ceiling medallion and paired-column mantels, were adapted from plates in Asher Benjamin's builder's guides. The exterior stays more conservative, and the outbuildings follow an 18th-century layout. A brick kitchen and a frame smokehouse remain. The house is also unusually well documented, since William Rodgers, Murphy's grandson, made detailed drawings of its rooms and grounds in the 1870s. The nominated 27 acres preserve its 19th-century farm setting.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Late Federal, with Greek Revival woodwork and a Georgian-influenced exterior","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence on farmland; the house is described as relatively unaltered, with the kitchen and smokehouse surviving.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:01.26514-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/6840/41684098/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/85003130.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003130/9e6fc54a3c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003130/9e6fc54a3c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Henry M. Cochran III, HABS delineeator","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spring_Grove_dwg_HABS_VA1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Henry M. Cochran III, HABS delineeator</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spring_Grove_dwg_HABS_VA1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41684098","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Grove_(Mount_Holly,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15278948"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/westmoreland-county/spring-grove-85003130/"}