Thomas, Abijah, House
Why it's listed
Set on a low hill ringed by mountains near Adwolf in Smyth County, this eight-sided brick house was built in 1856-57 for Abijah Thomas, the county's leading antebellum industrialist. Its design follows the octagon house idea promoted by Orson S. Fowler, and the nomination describes it as the most sophisticated example in Virginia. Inside are seventeen rooms with triangular closets, Greek Revival moldings, grained doors and two staircases. The standout feature is the set of grained and marbleized baseboards, different in every room, along with a marbleized plaster wall. Thomas built iron works and mills and held thousands of acres, but the Civil War destroyed his iron works and left him bankrupt. His widow lived in the house until 1885, and it later served as a barn. At the time of listing it was vacant and badly deteriorated, though the brick walls remained structurally stable. A smokehouse and a tenant house stand on the 2.75-acre site.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it Virginia's finest and most sophisticated surviving 19th-century octagonal house, reflecting the 1850s enthusiasm for Orson Fowler's eight-sided home design. It keeps a notable variety of grained and marbleized baseboards and a rare marbleized plaster wall. It is also tied to the rise of the Thomas family, prominent in southwestern Virginia just before the Civil War.
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 80004225, listed November 28, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SW of Marion on VA 657, Marion |
|---|---|
| County | Smyth County |
| Listed | November 28, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004225 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific dates 1856-57) |
| Architect / builder | Attributed to Abijah Thomas |
| Architectural style | Octagonal house with Greek Revival interior detailing |
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Deteriorated and unoccupied; in poor condition from exposure and neglect, used as a barn for much of the 20th century. The owner intended to sell it to someone able to restore it. |
| Acreage | 2.8 |
| Coordinates | 36.77438, -81.56998 (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 80004225.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4667736
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.