Linden Farm
Also known as: Linden; Dew House
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Why it's listed
Linden Farm is a small story-and-a-half frame farmhouse near Farnham in Richmond County, Virginia, on a 28.2-acre tract. It was begun around 1700 and reached its present form by about 1725. It was probably built by Andrew Dew, who received a 302-acre grant in 1708 and appears to have been a cloth merchant. His son Andrew likely expanded it from a single large room with a lean-to into a central-passage plan. The house retains unusual early features: tall asymmetrical pyramidal brick chimneys, a straight-run stair with closed string and heavy turned balusters, rare riven clapboards preserved beneath plaster, and tilted-false-plate eaves framing normally associated with very early construction. Greek Revival mantels and grained doors were added in the mid-nineteenth century. Ownership passed through several families, and the Beaucham family held it from 1909. It was listed as a rare colonial vernacular farmhouse on the Northern Neck, a region with few surviving colonial buildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a rare example of a colonial vernacular farmhouse on Virginia's Northern Neck, perhaps the oldest house there. It survives in a remarkable state of preservation. Notable features include massive asymmetrical pyramidal chimneys, a closed-string "Jacobean" stair, rare riven clapboards, and tilted-false-plate eaves framing that indicates an early date.
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 77001492, listed April 13, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N of Farnham on VA 3, Farnham |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | April 13, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001492 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | First quarter of eighteenth century |
| Architect / builder | Probably Andrew Dew (original section) |
| Architectural style | Colonial vernacular farmhouse (Greek Revival mantels and interior elements noted) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as fair condition and currently unoccupied and for sale at the time of nomination (1976). |
| Acreage | 28.2 |
| Within district | Occupacia-Rappahannock Rural Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.89137, -76.63333 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 77001492.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15242401
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.