Alexander, James, House
Also known as: Alexander-Long House
Why it's listed
Near Spottswood in Augusta County, Virginia, a brick farmhouse and a limestone springhouse sit along Poor Creek at the headwaters of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. The house, dated by tax records to about 1827, was built for James Alexander, whose family had come from Ireland by way of Pennsylvania. Its two-level bank form, with service rooms below and living rooms above, descends from central European building traditions carried through Pennsylvania. The brick shell has Flemish-bond walls and a molded cornice, and the main rooms keep Federal mantels, one matching a plate from Owen Biddle's pattern book. The double-pile hall-and-parlor plan was unusual for its time. The springhouse is built into a bank against the spring and has an exterior fireplace, a rare feature in the Valley. A frame barn, smokehouse and livestock buildings from the late 19th and 20th centuries complete the farmstead. The house was being restored when the property was listed.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls the house and springhouse a significant pair of early vernacular farm buildings that show Pennsylvania-derived, central European building forms reaching the Valley of Virginia. The house combines a two-level bank form with Georgian planning ideas and Federal woodwork, and has an unusual double-pile hall-and-parlor plan. The springhouse has a distinctive exterior fireplace, a feature found in only a few Valley examples.
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 82004543, listed September 16, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N of Spottswood on VA 671, Spottswood |
|---|---|
| County | Augusta County |
| Listed | September 16, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004543 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular mid-Atlantic bank form with Federal detailing and Georgian-influenced plan |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The main house was being restored at the time of the nomination; the springhouse was sound but in need of repair. |
| Acreage | 55 |
| Coordinates | 37.96287, -79.20314 (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 82004543.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712615
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.