Craft, Phillip, House
Also known as: DHR File No.71-188
Why it's listed
Built about 1819 for Philip Craft, this one-and-a-half-story brick house sits on a gentle slope at the headwaters of Cherrystone Creek, northwest of Chatham in Pittsylvania County. Its hall-parlor plan is laid in Flemish bond on all four walls, with gauged brick jack arches, a corbeled cornice and exterior end chimneys. Rounded bricks run along the water table and appear in the chimney haunches, a feature reported as rare in Virginia. Craft, of German descent, farmed hundreds of acres here with enslaved labor until he deeded the property in 1856. In 1904 H.P. Haden bought the house and added a two-story weatherboard wing, later joined to the original block by a one-story hyphen during a 1992 restoration. Early-twentieth-century log and frame outbuildings remain nearby. The house was recognized for architecture because few early brick dwellings survive in the county, and this one is well preserved.
Significance in brief: The house is one of a handful of surviving early-nineteenth-century brick buildings in Pittsylvania County. It is also distinguished by rounded bricks in the water table and chimney haunches, a detail described as rare anywhere in Virginia. It qualifies locally under Criterion C for architecture.
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 01000144, listed February 16, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1381 Old Red Eye Rd., Chatham |
|---|---|
| County | Pittsylvania County |
| Listed | February 16, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000144 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1819-1856 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic; hall-parlor plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in 1992; the historic function was a single dwelling and the current function is listed as commerce/trade, professional. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 36.90344, -79.45957 (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 01000144.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q42377258
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.