Prices Fork Historic District
Also known as: DHR file # 60-224
Why it's listed
Prices Fork is a rural village in Montgomery County, Virginia, clustered along VA Route 685 where the old road toward Peppers Ferry splits from the road to Browns Ferry. The district holds fifteen buildings: houses, two stores, two churches, a former schoolhouse and outbuildings, dating from 1871 to about 1930. James Bain Price built the brick Greek Revival house, with its log meathouse and barn, and a gable-fronted frame store in 1871. St. Marks Lutheran Church moved to the village in 1877, and a Methodist church, further houses and a second store followed. Large oaks, maples and catalpas tie the buildings together visually. The district was listed for architecture because it shows how a country-store village developed beside a turnpike between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its consistency and integrity set it apart from other communities in the western part of the county. A modern grange hall and a ranch-style parsonage are the only noncontributing buildings.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be significant under Criterion C as a group of well preserved buildings showing how a country-store village grew at a fork in a turnpike from the late 19th into the early 20th century. Its diverse houses, stores and churches form a dense, coherent landscape, linked by maple lines and large oaks.
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 90002004, listed January 10, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Prices Fork Rd. from VA 737 roughly to VA 654, Prices Fork |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | January 10, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002004 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1871-1940 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th c.: Greek Revival; other: center passage plan; Foursquare |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most resources are well preserved; the Methodist Church is still in use, St. Marks Lutheran Church has been converted to apartments, and the early 20th-century store (60-224-8) is vacant but not beyond restoration. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 37.20989, -80.49064 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 90002004.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713098
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.