Duke House
Also known as: Little River Farm; VDHR No. 054-5018
Why it's listed
Set in an open field in rural eastern Louisa County, this one-and-a-half-story frame house was probably built in the 1790s, although tradition has long given 1752, the year the Duke family acquired the land. It has beaded weatherboards, an asymmetrical five-bay facade, three gabled dormers and double-shouldered brick chimneys. Inside, a central passage with raised-panel wainscot leads to a parlor with a full-height paneled chimneypiece, fluted pilasters and a built-in corner cupboard. A frame outbuilding that predates the Civil War and a small cemetery with one marked historic grave also survive. A kitchen wing was added in the early twentieth century, and a renovation around 1975 followed a long vacancy. The property was listed for its architecture as a locally significant, well-preserved late-eighteenth-century rural dwelling with fine interior woodwork. Tax and census records also show how successive owners moved from mixed farming to tobacco production.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a good example of a well-built late-eighteenth-century rural dwelling with handsome interior woodwork, now rare because of changing tastes, fires and decay. Its raised-panel wainscot, paneled chimneypiece with fluted pilasters and built-in corner cupboard are highlighted. The surviving dependency and cemetery add to its importance. Its later owners also illustrate a shift from general farming to tobacco cash cropping in the mid-nineteenth century.
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 07000830, listed August 16, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2729 Diggstown Rd., Bumpass |
|---|---|
| County | Louisa County |
| Listed | August 16, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000830 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1790s-circa1911 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house was renovated beginning around 1975 after standing vacant for many years, and the form describes it as a single dwelling in current use. |
| Acreage | 50.1 |
| Coordinates | 37.94505, -77.77306 (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 07000830.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712253
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.