Cappahosic House
Also known as: Baytop House; Cappahosic Ferry House
Why it's listed
Cappahosic House is a two-story Georgian brick dwelling on a 4.7-acre parcel above the York River in Gloucester County, Virginia. Its walls are laid mostly in Flemish bond, with a belt course between floors, a dentil cornice, nine-over-nine sash windows and a red standing-seam tin roof. Inside, four rooms per floor each have a corner fireplace, and much of the original pine flooring, roof framing and several simple mantels survive. A modern addition was built in 1983. Local tradition dates the house to about 1712, but no records support that date, and the nomination places construction in the mid-18th century, tied to a ferry across the York River; a 1751 newspaper advertisement mentions a public house at the ferry. The Stubbs family held the land until the late 1780s, and the Baytop family later lived there. The house is listed for its rare pre-Revolutionary architecture and for archaeological deposits from the 18th and 19th centuries, including Late Woodland pottery sherds.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of very few surviving pre-Revolutionary homes in Gloucester County and retains many original features such as flooring, roof framing and mantels, under Criterion C. It is also significant under Criterion D for archaeological deposits dating mainly to the 18th and 19th centuries. The house is linked to an 18th-century ferry crossing of the York River.
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 03000211, listed April 11, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3198 Cappahosic Rd., Gloucester |
|---|---|
| County | Gloucester County |
| Listed | April 11, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000211 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1751-1947 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Transportation, Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Remains a single-family dwelling in continuous occupancy; a rear addition was built in 1983 and several modern outbuildings stand on the property. |
| Acreage | 4.7 |
| Coordinates | 37.38056, -76.63294 (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 03000211.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15207478
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.