Bellevue Rural Historic District (Additional Documentation)
Also known as: Bellevue School for Boys; Trivium; Brook Hill Farm; Glenn Mary Farm
Why it's listed
Bellevue Rural Historic District covers about 411 acres along a one-mile stretch of Bellevue Road in eastern Bedford County, Virginia. Four linked farm properties make up its core: Bellevue, Trivium, Brook Hill Farm and Glenn Mary Farm. Buildings date from 1790 to 1939 and include a brick Federal house, a Greek Revival tavern built in 1832, a 1904 Queen Anne and bungalow dwelling, and a 1939 Colonial Revival brick farmhouse. Open fields and a narrow tree-lined road, once a buggy path, connect the farms. The district was listed for its agricultural history, its architecture and its role in education. James P. Holcombe, a Confederate congressman and University of Virginia law professor, opened Bellevue School for Boys in 1866, and it drew students from across the South until it closed in 1909. Brook Hill Farm also kept a small private schoolhouse for resident children. Today the farms are used mainly for cattle, horses and hay.
Significance in brief: The district shows how farming practices and rural house styles developed over about 150 years within a one-mile area. It includes Bellevue School for Boys, a classical academy founded in 1866 by James P. Holcombe, and a small private farm schoolhouse. Its dwellings range from Federal and Greek Revival to Queen Anne, bungalow and Colonial Revival.
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 05001345, listed November 30, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bellevue Rd., Forest |
|---|---|
| County | Bedford (city and county) |
| Listed | November 30, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001345 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1790 - 1939 |
| Architect / builder | unknown (the form also names Spottswood Brown as builder of Trivium, Andrew Gleason as builder of the Glenn Mary Farm house, and Reed E. Graves as designer of its barn) |
| Architectural style | Early Republic/Federal; Colonial/Jacobean; Greek Revival; Late Victorian/Queen Anne; Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form describes the buildings as well preserved and the landscape as pristine. Farms in the district currently raise cattle and horses and produce hay. |
| Acreage | 411.2 |
| Coordinates | 37.36604, -79.37370 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 05001345.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712016
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.