Mills, James, Storehouse
Also known as: Old Tobacco Warehouse
Why it's listed
Overlooking Virginia Street in Urbanna, this brick storehouse was built between 1763 and 1767 for James Mills and Company. It rises over a full basement, with Flemish bond brickwork, queen closers, a gable roof with a raking cornice, and a six-bay porch on the north front. The building represents the colonial tobacco trade of the Tidewater, when a resident factor for a British firm sold tobacco and stocked imported goods that planters bought on credit. Its Scottish merchant owners took part in the rapid growth of Scotland's share of the British tobacco trade, from ten percent in 1738 to fifty-two percent by 1769. A 1767 map is the first record of the structure. The Association for Preservation of Virginia Antiquities bought it in 1938, investigated it architecturally in 1960, and restored it beginning in 1964. Since 1966 the town has used it as a library.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a rare, if not unique, survivor of a storehouse run by a resident factor of a British company, handling both tobacco sales and imported goods sold to planters on credit. It reflects the eighteenth-century shift toward outport merchants and the rise of Scottish merchants in the tobacco trade. Urbanna is presented as a good example of a colonial Tidewater tobacco port.
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 72001409, listed November 7, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S side of Rte. T-1002, Urbanna |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | November 7, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001409 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rated in good condition and restored from 1964; the building has been used as a town library since the restoration. It is owned by the Association for Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Occupacia-Rappahannock Rural Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.63651, -76.57265 (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 72001409.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712621
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.