Beechwood
Also known as: Jericho
Why it's listed
Beechwood is a wooded-lot farmhouse in the flat country of Southampton County, Virginia, that grew in several stages over about a century. It began in the late 1700s as a one-room, one-story house built by Jordan Denson, then gained a rear lean-to, a side passage, a second story, a dining room wing and a late 19th-century rear ell. The main block has beaded weatherboards, a modillion cornice and a pedimented front porch with Tuscan columns. Inside, plain but well-made Federal mantels and recessed-panel wainscoting survive, along with an early brick-floored kitchen behind the house. The property was long held by descendants of the Denson and Pretlow families. Colgate W. Darden, who served in Congress, as Virginia governor from 1942 to 1946, and as president of the University of Virginia, later owned it. It was listed as a representative plantation house of southeastern Virginia that preserves earlier, smaller house forms within its structure.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a good example of the spacious but unpretentious side-hall-plan plantation houses favored in southeastern Virginia in the early 19th century. The enlarged house also incorporates earlier, smaller house forms from the post-Revolutionary years. It is further tied to the Denson-Pretlow family and to Governor Colgate W. Darden, a recent owner.
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 79003088, listed February 1, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Courtland on VA 643, Beales |
|---|---|
| County | Southampton County |
| Listed | February 1, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003088 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Jordan Denson (original portion) |
| Architectural style | Federal woodwork; side-hall plan plantation house |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Privately owned; the form marks the property as occupied and describes a surviving original kitchen behind the main block. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 36.75299, -77.00124 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 79003088.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15198075
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.