White Post Historic District
Also known as: See also:Meadea
Why it's listed
White Post is a small crossroads village in southwestern Clarke County, Virginia, where two roads meet at a white-painted octagonal wood post eleven feet tall. The post gave the town its name and has been replaced several times. The district has twenty-eight buildings, including late 19th-century frame and stucco houses, two churches, a parish hall, a 1913 post office and three abandoned commercial structures. Five modern houses do not contribute to its character. The most prominent building is Bishop Meade Memorial Church, a large brick Gothic Revival church dedicated in 1875, with corbelled cornices and pinnacled pilasters. The village grew around a marker Lord Fairfax set up in the 1760s to direct travelers to Greenway Court. It is also known as the birthplace of Bishop William Meade, a leader of the Episcopal Church's revival in Virginia. A log house of about 1784 is the only surviving 18th-century building. Together the buildings preserve the rural character and small scale of a Valley crossroads town.
Significance in brief: The village grew up around the white post that Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax, had erected in the 1760s to point the way to Greenway Court. It is associated with Bishop William Meade, who was born there and led the revival of the Episcopal Church in Virginia. The district is a visually cohesive group of buildings typical of late 19th-century building in Valley towns, including the ornate Gothic Revival Bishop Meade Memorial Church of 1875.
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 83003278, listed September 29, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | VA 658 and 628, White Post |
|---|---|
| County | Clarke County |
| Listed | September 29, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003278 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | Late 18th century; 19th and 20th centuries |
| Architectural style | Victorian Gothic Revival church, Queen Anne houses, and late 19th-century vernacular frame and stucco residences |
| Areas of significance | Religion, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Twenty-eight buildings, five of them noncontributing. Three commercial buildings and the post office are abandoned or closed. The form marks the district as both occupied and unoccupied, in excellent to fair condition. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Within district | Greenway Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.05714, -78.10445 (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 83003278.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713525
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.