{"nrhp_refnum":"97000156","name":"Rich Bottom Farm","other_names":["VDHR File No. 53-422"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"16860 Hillsboro Rd., 1.5 mi. N of Purcellville","address_restricted":false,"city":"Purcellville","county":"Loudoun County","state":"VA","lat":39.14979572400006,"lon":-77.73282227000658,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-02-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ten-acre farm property about one mile north of Purcellville in Loudoun County, Virginia, with a two-story, three-part stone and brick house built between about 1780 and 1820, plus a limestone smokehouse and springhouse.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the farm is a well-preserved example of Federal-style architecture. The door alignment, lack of hallways and the lintel construction of the cooking fireplace are cited as architecturally significant. It was also the late-eighteenth-century home of grain farmer Samuel Purcell, whose descendants gave Purcellville its name, and it stayed in the family until the 1940s.","narrative":"Rich Bottom Farm is a ten-acre property north of Purcellville, Loudoun County, Virginia, centered on a two-story house built in three sections between about 1780 and 1820. The eastern and central sections are roughly cut limestone, while the western section is handmade brick. Six rooms connect without hallways, and front and rear doors align in each section. Interior features include original mantels, built-in cabinets, chair rails and horse hair plaster walls. A limestone smokehouse with a cornerstone dated 1797 and a two-story limestone springhouse also survive. The property is recognized as a well-preserved example of Federal-style architecture. It was the home of grain farmer Samuel Purcell, whose descendants gave Purcellville its name. He sought permission to build a grist mill in 1785, and his will freed his slaves in 1829. The farm remained with the Purcell family into the 1940s. Restoration work in 1994 and 1995 preserved its historic character.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1780-ca. 1820","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition with very little alteration; restored in 1994 and 1995 by its current owners, with current function listed as a single dwelling.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.994423-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/6815/41681563/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/97000156.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000156/2ac6952bd8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000156/2ac6952bd8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RICH_BOTTOM_FARM;_PURCELLVILLE,_LOUDOUN_COUNTY.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</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:RICH_BOTTOM_FARM;_PURCELLVILLE,_LOUDOUN_COUNTY.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681563","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Bottom_Farm","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14713128"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/loudoun-county/rich-bottom-farm-97000156/"}