{"nrhp_refnum":"99000853","name":"East Belmont","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Jct. of VA 22 and VA 616","address_restricted":false,"city":"Keswick","county":"Albemarle County","state":"VA","lat":38.02772360150004,"lon":-78.36303901382519,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-08-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"East Belmont is a farm district of 281 acres (part of a 1,200-acre farm) on the west side of State Route 22 near Keswick in eastern Albemarle County, Virginia. It centers on a main house built in stages from about 1811 to 1834, with a few historic farm outbuildings.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the brick block is an outstanding example of late Federal architecture in the Southwest Mountains, with Flemish bond brickwork and original woodwork. It is also tied to John Rogers, Sr., a leading agricultural reformer and founding member of the Albemarle Agricultural Society who won a 1828 prize for the best-managed farm. The brick work is attributed to Lewis Level, an enslaved mason, making it a rare house attributed to a Black craftsman.","narrative":"East Belmont is a working farm near Keswick in eastern Albemarle County, at the base of the Southwest Mountains. The nominated 281 acres hold a main house built in three stages: a frame section from about 1811-1814, a two-story, five-bay Federal brick block added around 1834, and a 1960s sunroom. The brick block features Flemish bond brickwork on all four sides, a pedimented south portico with Chinese Chippendale railings, and largely original Federal woodwork. Historic outbuildings include a log corncrib, a stone and frame barn, a chicken house and the chimney of an early kitchen. The property is linked to John Rogers, Sr., who restored gullied land through crop rotation and horizontal plowing, helped found the Albemarle Agricultural Society alongside Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, and took first prize for best-regulated farm in 1828. The brick section is attributed to Lewis Level, an enslaved mason, which makes it a rare antebellum house credited to a Black craftsman.","period_of_significance":"1811-1838","architect_builder":"Level, Lewis (brickmason)","architectural_style":"Early Republic: Federal","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a single dwelling and working farm with cattle operations; the early kitchen survives only as a stone chimney.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.136178-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/25/6793/41679325/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/99000853.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000853/931f914a4d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000853/931f914a4d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Belmont_gated_entrance.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Belmont_gated_entrance.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"92000054","name":"Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/southwest-mountains-rural-historic-district-92000054/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679325","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Belmont","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712263"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/albemarle-county/east-belmont-99000853/"}