Otterburn
Also known as: DHR File No. 009-0024
Why it's listed
Otterburn is a hilltop brick house on Big Island Highway north of Bedford, Virginia, once the center of a plantation that reached over 2,800 acres along Little Otter Creek. Benjamin and Sally Donald built the first house in 1828. A fire gutted it in 1841, and by 1843 it had been rebuilt within the surviving walls. The rebuilt house has a transverse-hall plan, a main floor raised over a basement, a full-length front porch, curved granite stairs and a cross-gabled roof with pedimented ends. Its doorways, windows and mantels copy designs from Asher Benjamin's pattern books. The property is also tied to Benjamin Donald, who held county offices for more than forty years and was the county's first elected presiding justice. About sixteen acres remain, with old boxwood gardens laid out as a maze, a mid-nineteenth-century wash house and a 1950s dormitory. The house is currently vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination links the house to Benjamin A. Donald, a plantation and gristmill owner who served as a county justice from 1832 and as Bedford County's first elected presiding justice. It also treats the house as a leading Virginia example of the shift from Early Classical Revival to Greek Revival style, with detailing taken from Asher Benjamin's pattern books.
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 01000146, listed February 16, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Big Island Rd., Bedford |
|---|---|
| County | Bedford (city and county) |
| Listed | February 16, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000146 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1828-1871 |
| Architectural style | Early Classical Revival/Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed under current function as vacant; the dormitory on the grounds is used as an adult care residence, and repairs are under way to preserve the house until a full restoration or rehabilitation. |
| Acreage | 15.3 |
| Coordinates | 37.36828, -79.49707 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 01000146.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7109430
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.