Rife House
Also known as: 60-443
Why it's listed
Along U.S. 460/11 northeast of Shawsville stands a large two-story frame house built around 1905 for K. M. Rife, who came to the area from the coalfields of western Virginia. Its weatherboarded walls rise to a flat-topped hipped roof of slate with cast iron cresting. Two-story bays with projecting gables face north, south and west, and the west gable holds a Palladian window with keystone. A curved one-story porch with Doric columns wraps three sides. Inside, the irregular plan, Queen Anne mantels and open stringer stair reflect pattern-book influence unusual for the region. The house was listed for its architecture. Queen Anne houses are rare in Montgomery County, and this is the only nominated rural example. Its decoration and costly materials, including iron cresting and slate, point to a wealthy owner. A frame outbuilding, probably a meathouse, shows how domestic space was used in the period.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is eligible under criterion C as an unusually large and stylish house using decorative and planning elements adapted from published pattern books. It is the only nominated Queen Anne example in rural Montgomery County, where such houses are few. Its iron cresting, slate roof and rich decoration mark it as the home of a wealthy family.
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 89001900, listed November 13, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | VA 633 at US 460/11, Shawsville |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | November 13, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001900 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1905 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as commerce/trade: business; the interior has lowered ceilings that the form describes as reversible alterations. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 37.17743, -80.23669 (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 89001900.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713132
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.