Mt. Bleak-Skye Farm (030-0283)

Sky Meadows State Park in northwestern Fauquier County, Virginia, occupies about 1,618 acres of meadows, hollows and ridges beneath the Blue Ridge. The land combines four plantations associated with the Edmonds, Settle, Morgan and Timberlake families. It contains 23 contributing buildings, one site and three structures dating from about 1780 to 1954. Wayside Cottage, built around 1780 for John Edmonds, keeps its hall-and-chamber plan and early attic framing despite later changes. Abner Settle built the stone Federal-style Mount Bleak mansion around 1843 and added a frame wing about 1850. Its carved stair, molded trim and faux-grained doors show quality craftsmanship. A carriage and corn house, log summer kitchen, meeting house, barns and stone fences record two centuries of farming. The park is surrounded by farmland, which gives the district strong integrity of setting. Its significance rests on its architecture and its long agricultural history.