Sites House
Also known as: Siter Plantation
Why it's listed
Set near the base of a ridge beside Linville Creek in northern Rockingham County, Sites House is a two-story limestone farmhouse of the Continental type, with coursed stone and corner quoins on the front and rubble on the ends. A single small central chimney serves the fireplaces. Inside, the plan follows German tradition, with a kitchen (kuche) and a parlor (stube) on either side of the chimney, and the original raised-panel doors, chair rails and moulded joists survive. The roof has purlins set into sockets in the stone gables, which is unusual. The land belonged to Johann Sites by 1789 and passed to his son Christian in 1798, and a construction date of 1801 is considered likely. Few houses of this type remain in the Valley of Virginia. It was listed for its well-preserved early plan and woodwork. Later used as a nursing home, it has stood vacant since 1961 and was bought in 1976 for renovation.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an unusually elaborate and exceptionally well-preserved example of the central-chimney farmhouse brought to Virginia by central European settlers. Only a handful of these houses remain in the Valley of Virginia. Its plan was altered early from two rooms to three and later to four, and its roof structure and interior woodwork are unusual and largely intact.
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 79003081, listed April 3, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NW of Broadway off VA 617, Broadway |
|---|---|
| County | Rockingham County |
| Listed | April 3, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003081 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | circa 1850s |
| Architectural style | Continental-form (central-chimney, Germanic) farmhouse |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used last as a nursing home and vacant since 1961; purchased in 1976 by new owners who plan to renovate it. Condition listed as good. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Coordinates | 38.59427, -78.82788 (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 79003081.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15277984
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.