McDonald, Joseph, Farm
Also known as: DHR File No. 60-235
Why it's listed
This farm in the hills near Prices Fork, beside Tom's Creek, centers on a large two-story log house built in the early nineteenth century, possibly by Joseph McDonald or his son Jonas. The V-notched log house began as a hall-parlor dwelling facing north. About 1850 a frame ell added a center passage, a new parlor and an east-facing entrance. A wing in 1908 brought the first kitchen inside the house. Earlier, cooking took place in a separate two-story log kitchen, which still stands. Other surviving buildings include a log springhouse, a one-story log house that may once have housed enslaved workers, a double-pen log corncrib, a hammer mill and an early twentieth-century barn. The property was listed for architecture. Few houses of its form survive from the first quarter of the nineteenth century in Montgomery County, and the grouped outbuildings show how domestic and farm space changed over time. It is considered the county's finest collection of early outbuildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an early example of the hall-parlor form, with only three log examples clearly dating to the first quarter of the nineteenth century among 53 recorded in the county. Its mid-nineteenth-century ell and 1908 wing show how a family adapted the home over time. The surviving log kitchen, springhouse, corncrib and cabin make it the county's finest collection of early outbuildings.
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 90002166, listed February 1, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | VA 657 NW of jct. with VA 685, at end of Spur Rd., Prices Fork |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | February 1, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002166 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1800-ca.1908 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Hall-parlor plan (later altered to a center-passage house) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current functions are both single dwelling, domestic secondary structures and agricultural outbuildings. The log house is described as well preserved despite several additions and alterations. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 37.22658, -80.47382 (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 90002166.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712644
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.