Toombs Tobacco Farm
Also known as: DHR file no. 019-5146
Why it's listed
Set in the rolling countryside of Charlotte County, Virginia, this 128-acre tobacco farm near Red Oak centers on a story-and-a-half wood frame house with a circa 1910 rear wing and a 1989 addition. Around it stand a kitchen, cook's quarters, smokehouse, woodshed, chicken coop, garage, barns, a corncrib, a well, and a family cemetery with markers from 1911 into the 1980s. Two log tobacco barns, one wood-fired and one converted to bottled gas, and a frame packing house show how Bright Leaf tobacco was cured and stored. The Toombs family owned the land from the 1830s until 1981. The farm was listed for its vernacular architecture tied to tobacco growing. Its significance rests on the survival of nearly the whole working complex of buildings, structures and sites, which shows how a typical rural Virginia family farm evolved over roughly a century and a half. The ruined chill box beside Bluestone Creek is described as especially rare.
Significance in brief: The farm keeps its full set of outbuildings, including log tobacco barns, a packing house, smokehouse, chicken coop, servants' quarters and family cemetery. Together they show typical 19th and 20th century tobacco farming vernacular architecture in the region. The nomination also notes that the chill box ruins are rare and warrant further study.
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 00000027, listed January 28, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1125 Tates Mill Rd., Red Oak |
|---|---|
| County | Charlotte County |
| Listed | January 28, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000027 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1830 - 1949 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current functions are listed as single dwelling (residence) and agriculture; the main house has had additions and alterations, including a circa 1910 rear wing and a 1989 addition. |
| Acreage | 128 |
| Coordinates | 36.78560, -78.59231 (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 00000027.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713364
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.