Sunnyside Farm
Also known as: VDHR File No. 53-304
Why it's listed
Sunnyside Farm is a 35-acre property along Business Route 7 between Hamilton and Purcellville, Loudoun County. Its core is a two-story, three-bay fieldstone house, probably built in the first quarter of the 19th century by William Nichols, a prominent local Quaker. Massive stone quoins and a hall-and-parlor plan reflect a masonry tradition carried south from Pennsylvania. Frame additions from about 1855-60 through the 1920s record the house's gradual growth, including a Queen Anne-style bay added around 1910. Nearby stand a stone springhouse dated 1822, a smokehouse dated 1828, and a stone bank barn that Union troops burned during the Civil War, rebuilt in 1880 and again after a 1989 arson fire. A glazed-tile dairy barn and milkhouse from about 1922 are largely unaltered. A cabin site and the earthworks and culverts of an unfinished Confederate railroad are also part of the farm. Together these features led to its listing for architecture and agriculture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues significance under Criterion C for its early-19th-century architecture influenced by German-Pennsylvania stone building traditions. The stone house, springhouse, smokehouse and bank barn form an ensemble, joined by an intact 1920s dairy complex. The frame additions show the house changing over time, and the farm also has Civil War associations and the trace of an unfinished Confederate railroad.
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 94000989, listed August 16, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | VA Bus. 7 S side, 1150 ft. E of jct. with VA 287, Hamilton |
|---|---|
| County | Loudoun County |
| Listed | August 16, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000989 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1815-c. 1920 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic (vernacular Federal-style stone house) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house and farm remain in residential and agricultural use. Part of the land is still used for livestock, and the bank barn was rebuilt after a 1989 arson fire. |
| Acreage | 35 |
| Coordinates | 39.13217, -77.68767 (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 94000989.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713273
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.