{"nrhp_refnum":"88002059","name":"Needham","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 45, 1.4 mi. N of jct. with US 460","address_restricted":false,"city":"Farmville","county":"Cumberland County","state":"VA","lat":37.32245216000007,"lon":-78.38487478999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-11-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Needham is a two-story frame I-house with a central hall, located north of Farmville off Route 45 in Cumberland County, Virginia. It was probably built in 1802 for jurist Creed Taylor, with a rear ell added in 1929.","why_significant":"The house is tied to Creed Taylor, a judge, legislator and legal educator who ran Virginia's first proprietary law school here from 1821 to about 1830. Several of his students went on to national political careers. It is also a well-preserved example of rural Federal-style domestic architecture, notable for its original woodwork, mantels, brass hardware and stair.","narrative":"Needham is a two-story frame house of central-hall, single-pile plan with beaded clapboard siding, standing north of Farmville in Cumberland County. It was probably built in 1802 for Creed Taylor, a judge of the Superior Court of Chancery, state senator and legal educator. In 1821 Taylor founded a law school at the house, the first proprietary law school in Virginia. Students practiced in a moot court that met in his office or in an upstairs room. Known students include John Minor Botts, Sterling Price and William Yates Gholson, along with several congressmen and delegates. Taylor died in 1836 and was buried in the family cemetery on the property. The house keeps much of its original fabric, including four Federal-style mantels with fluted pilasters, six-panel doors, brass hardware, wide pine flooring and an unusually detailed stair. A rear ell was added in 1929. The property was listed for its link to legal education, to Taylor, and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1802-36","architect_builder":"Creed Taylor","architectural_style":"Early Republic - Federal","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Currently in use as a single-family residence; asbestos siding on the rear portions was being removed at the time of the form.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:01.147981-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/6803/41680343/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/88002059.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002059/6930e75143-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002059/6930e75143-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Needham,_north_of_Farmville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Needham,_north_of_Farmville.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680343","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needham_(Farmville,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6986539"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/cumberland-county/needham-88002059/"}