{"nrhp_refnum":"89001887","name":"Howard-Bell-Feather House","other_names":["Bell--Feather House","Old Feathers Place","60-24"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 669 at Elliot Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"Riner","county":"Montgomery County","state":"VA","lat":37.067175055000064,"lon":-80.40866179899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-11-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A coursed-rubble limestone dwelling on a hillside above Elliot Creek in rolling farmland near Riner, Montgomery County, Virginia, built around 1810 with an early twentieth-century frame house nearby.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion C for architecture. It is described as the only stone house in the county built before the Civil War and the only three-room plan house identified in the New River Valley region. It is also one of perhaps eight buildings in the county surviving from before about 1825, and its form and decorative elements remain intact or discernible despite alterations.","narrative":"Set on a hillside above Elliot Creek in farmland near Riner, this limestone house dates to about 1810. Its coursed-rubble walls rise two full stories on the downhill east side, where the house was built into a bank, with large exterior chimneys at both gable ends and a tin roof. Inside, each floor was arranged in a three-room plan, and later changes combined some rooms. Surviving details include raised six-panel doors, beaded trim, and shelf-and-architrave mantels. A small frame house from the early twentieth century stands nearby. The property is considered significant for its architecture. It is described as the only pre-Civil War stone house in Montgomery County and the only three-room plan house identified in the New River Valley. Traditionally credited to William Howard, it later passed to John Bell, who bought the land in 1832, and then to the Feather family. The house is one of perhaps eight buildings in the county to survive from before about 1825. It is currently vacant.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1810 - ca. 1910","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Three-room plan (classified as OTHER: Three-room plan)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.809383-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/14/6788/41678814/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/89001887.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001887/159786a207-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001887/159786a207-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Skye Marthaler","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Howard-Bell-Feather_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Skye Marthaler</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:Howard-Bell-Feather_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41678814","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard%E2%80%93Bell%E2%80%93Feather_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712585"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/montgomery-county/howard-bell-feather-house-89001887/"}