Billups House
Also known as: Milford
Why it's listed
Milford is a story-and-a-half wooden house with a Flemish-bond brick basement, set beside a tidal creek on the coastal plain of Mathews County. Probably built between about 1770 and 1790, it keeps its original nine-over-nine sash, three gabled dormers on each roof slope, a box cornice and interior end chimneys. Early weatherboarding survives under later asbestos shingles. Inside, the west parlor has a fully paneled end wall, fluted Doric pilasters and an original seven-panel overmantel, and the passage holds an open-string stair with colonnette balusters. A two-story wing added in 1950 joins the east end by a hyphen. The house was built on land held by the Billups family since George Billups received a grant in 1653. Capt. John Billups or his son Lt. John Billups likely built it between 1774 and 1783. It has passed down through direct descent, and its woodwork and preservation make it an outstanding example of gentry housing in late eighteenth-century Tidewater Virginia.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an outstanding example of the homes of the well-to-do country gentry of late eighteenth-century Tidewater Virginia. It is notable for its exceptional interior woodwork and its fine state of preservation. The land has stayed in the Billups family since the mid-seventeenth 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 80004199, listed March 26, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E of Moon, Moon |
|---|---|
| County | Mathews County |
| Listed | March 26, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004199 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Georgian; variant of the central-passage, double-pile Georgian plan |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition and in a good state of preservation; the form checks it as occupied and a private residence. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 37.44106, -76.28623 (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 80004199.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712028
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.