Berryville Historic District
Why it's listed
Berryville, the seat of Clarke County in Virginia's lower Shenandoah Valley, was laid out in 1798 where two colonial roads crossed. The historic district covers much of the town, with 314 contributing buildings, 62 noncontributing buildings and a Confederate memorial. The commercial center has one- and two-story brick buildings from the late 19th century, some with cast-iron storefronts. North of it stands the 1838 Clarke County Courthouse, a temple-form Roman Revival building designed by county justice David Meade, near the Italianate Grace Episcopal Church of 1857. Houses range from a few late 18th- and early 19th-century Federal and Greek Revival dwellings to many late 19th-century frame vernacular houses and early 20th-century Colonial Revival, Bungalow and Foursquare homes. A railroad arrived in 1879 and prompted a building boom, leaving a mill, grain warehouses and a 1910 depot at the eastern edge of town. Little construction after the 1930s has altered the streetscapes, and open orchard country surrounds the town.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the district as a well-preserved record of nearly 200 years of town development, with commercial, residential, governmental, religious and industrial buildings. It includes the 1838 courthouse, late 19th-century commercial blocks and the railroad-era industrial area. The surrounding rural setting and the lack of later construction help preserve the town's character.
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 87001881, listed November 3, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of US 7 & 340, Main, Church, & Buckmarsh Sts., Berryville |
|---|---|
| County | Clarke County |
| Listed | November 3, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001881 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | David Meade (designer of the 1838 Clarke County Courthouse) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Bungalow and vernacular types |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as occupied, in excellent to fair condition, with mixed private, commercial, government, educational and religious uses. |
| Acreage | 150 |
| Coordinates | 39.15110, -77.98232 (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 87001881.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713970
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.