Roanoke Plantation
Why it's listed
Roanoke Plantation, near Saxe in Charlotte County, Virginia, is a working cattle farm and private residence on about 926 acres. It occupies the Middle Quarter of the Roanoke lands, where John Randolph of Roanoke lived and kept his famous stud of blooded horses. Randolph served in Congress from 1799 to 1825 apart from one defeat, and later served in the Senate and as Minister to Russia. He died in 1833. Of his two small frame cottages, one was incorporated into a larger house built by Judge Wood Bouldin and burned in 1879. The other survives as a simple one-story, three-bay building with brick end chimneys. A turn-of-the-century frame house serves as the present residence. An early smokehouse, a boulder marking Randolph's first grave, and a roadway following the original roadbed remain. Dense woodland behind the house recalls the forest that once surrounded his home. The property was listed for its close link to Randolph.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as the home most closely identified with John Randolph of Roanoke, a congressman, senator and orator who lived and kept his stud of blooded horses here. The setting, the surviving cottage and the original roadbed still evoke his time. The form also notes Judge Wood Bouldin, who bought the Middle Quarter after the litigation over Randolph's will.
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 73002002, listed April 11, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W of Saxe off VA 746, Saxe |
|---|---|
| County | Charlotte County |
| Listed | April 11, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002002 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked good and altered. The property is occupied as a private residence and still used for agriculture (cattle). One cottage survives in a good state of preservation, and a possible overseer's house is in poor condition. |
| Acreage | 926 |
| Coordinates | 36.91264, -78.71348 (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 73002002.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713143
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.