Hartwood Manor
Also known as: Old Foote Place; 089-0021
Why it's listed
Hartwood Manor is a brick farmhouse built in 1848 by Ariel and Julia Foote, who came to Stafford County from Connecticut. It sits on a low knoll off Hartwood Road, set back from the road behind a distinctive 1950s fence of concrete columns topped with cannonball shapes. The two-and-one-half-story house has Flemish bond brickwork, a steeply pitched cross-gable roof, polygonal bay windows, drip moldings and lancet-arch windows under deep eaves. A sensitive 1967 rear addition enlarged the home using matching salvaged brick. Inside, a central hall holds a heart pine and walnut stair, and five original fireplaces survive. Early twentieth-century outbuildings include a barn, milk house, chicken house and workshop, and a hand-dug well lies behind the house. The property was listed for its architecture: Gothic Revival was rare in rural Virginia, and the house keeps much of its original fabric. During the Civil War it also served as a Union hospital.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare surviving example of rural Gothic Revival architecture in Virginia, where the style was unusual. It has steeply pitched cross gables, polygonal bay windows, drip moldings and lancet-arch windows. The only other Gothic Revival example noted in the county is a frame farmhouse with a Carpenter Gothic wing. The complex retains a high degree of historic fabric and integrity.
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 05001618, listed February 1, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 335 Hartwood Rd., Harwood |
|---|---|
| County | Stafford County |
| Listed | February 1, 2006 |
| Reference number | 05001618 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1848-1955 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house remains a private single-family residence, with outbuildings used for storage and a workshop. The older section of the barn is in good condition and the later section is significantly deteriorated. |
| Acreage | 8.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.42070, -77.57327 (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 05001618.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15223135
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.