Hills Farm
Also known as: VDHR File #001-0023; Hunting Creek Plantation
Why it's listed
Hills Farm is a brick plantation house on Virginia's Eastern Shore, near Greenbush in Accomack County, overlooking Hunting Creek. Richard Drummond III, then one of the county's wealthiest planters, began construction in 1747. The house is built of sand-molded brick laid in Flemish bond with glazed headers, and has a central passage with rooms on either side. Its south front, with gauged-brick jack arches, was clearly meant as the main façade. In 1856 John R. Drummond had it remodeled with Greek Revival details and a weatherboarded east wing. In 1942 new owners Henry and Fredonia Richardson hired Washington architect James W. Adams to restore it in the Colonial Revival style. He restored the original plan, added a slate roof and designed raised-panel interiors. Eleven wood-frame outbuildings, including a probable eighteenth-century smokehouse and dairy, a barn, sheds and a 1940s caretaker's cottage, complete the farmstead. The property remains a residence and working farm.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as a well-preserved colonial brick dwelling with a central-passage plan, built for one of Accomack County's wealthiest planters. It also records successive alterations: Greek Revival updating in 1856 and a thorough Colonial Revival restoration in 1942 by architect James W. Adams, whose interior designs are treated as historical assets in their own right.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000872, listed September 12, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 19065 Hills Farm Rd., Greenbush |
|---|---|
| County | Accomack County |
| Listed | September 12, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000872 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Richard Drummond III (original owner/builder, 1747); Wm. H. White (builder, 1856 renovation); James W. Adams, architect (1942 restoration) |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Postmedieval English; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current functions are both listed as domestic single dwelling with secondary structures, agricultural storage and animal facilities; the house was restored in the 1940s. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 37.78198, -75.70406 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000872.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14691963
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.