Updyke, Junius Marcellus, Farm
Also known as: VDHR No. 010-5027
Why it's listed
Set on a rise above Walker Creek Valley in Bland County, Virginia, the Updyke Farm covers about 362 acres between Big Walker Mountain and Brushy Mountain. Junius Marcellus Updyke, a merchant turned farmer, assembled the land in 1891 and 1908 and had the farmhouse built around 1910. The two-story I-house combines Folk Victorian form with Ionic columns, pent roofs beneath the gables, pressed-tin fish-scale roofing and richly trimmed interiors. Around it stand a smokehouse, granary, chicken house, storage shed, a mid-century barn and a small cemetery with graves dating from 1912 to 1997. The two-story smokehouse is described as rare in Bland County, and the granary as an uncommon building type in Virginia. The farm was recognized for its architecture, with a period of significance running from about 1910 to about 1955. It is considered locally significant for its blend of Classical Revival details on a Victorian-era house and for its largely intact early twentieth-century farm buildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is locally significant under Criterion C for its unusual and bold use of Classical Revival elements in a Victorian-era dwelling. It also cites an intact collection of early 20th century agricultural outbuildings, including a rare two-story smokehouse and a seldom-seen granary type in Virginia.
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 12000018, listed February 8, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4859 E. Bluegrass Trail, Bland |
|---|---|
| County | Bland County |
| Listed | February 8, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000018 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1910-c. 1955 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Folk Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house, outbuildings and cemetery are all rated contributing. The house and a guest house remain in domestic use, and the farm still has a working barn with cattle pens. |
| Acreage | 362 |
| Coordinates | 37.13282, -81.02348 (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 12000018.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712652
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.