Rosedale
Also known as: Graves Mill; Clay's Mill; Tomahawk Mill; Johnson Cottage; Vhlc11
Why it's listed
Rosedale is a farm complex above Tomahawk Creek in Lynchburg, Virginia, where two houses from different eras sit about a hundred feet apart. The older is the Christopher Johnson Cottage, a story-and-a-half frame house on a fieldstone basement, built between about 1764 and 1774 by an early Quaker settler. It survives remarkably unaltered and is a good example of the simple dwellings put up by the first settlers of this part of the Piedmont. Nearby is the brick mansion built by Odin Clay in 1836-1838. Clay served in the Virginia House of Delegates and became the first president of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. The house has some of the earliest Greek Revival details in the area, including a door surround and a stair landing Greek Key pattern that match plates in Asher Benjamin's builder's handbook. A 1929 brick wing and earlier frame additions were later modified. A mill burned in 1967, leaving its foundations. Log outbuildings and a wooded setting remain.
Significance in brief: The Christopher Johnson Cottage is a little-altered example of a vernacular home built by early Quaker settlers in the Piedmont. The mansion, built for Odin Clay, shows some of the earliest Greek Revival details in the area, drawn from Asher Benjamin's pattern books. Together with the mill ruins and farm buildings, they form a rare surviving rural ensemble at the edge of the city.
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 83003291, listed July 7, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Old Graves Mill Rd., Lynchburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Lynchburg |
| Listed | July 7, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003291 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799, 1800-1899 (specific dates ca. 1764-1774, 1838) |
| Architect / builder | Odin Clay (builder of the mansion); Christopher Johnson (cottage and mill); Stanhope S. Johnson (architect of the 1929 wing) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (mansion); vernacular late 18th-century yeoman's cottage |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; the cottage serves as a guesthouse, and the mill burned in 1967, leaving only stone foundations and traces of the millrace. |
| Acreage | 22.5 |
| Coordinates | 37.37630, -79.22861 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 83003291.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7368157
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.