Plumb House
Also known as: DHR File No. 136-3
Why it's listed
Built between about 1810 and 1820, this two-story log house on West Main Street in Waynesboro is among the oldest substantially intact dwellings in the city. It was erected for Thomas Wilson on a three-acre lot in one of the town's early subdivisions. Alfred Plumb, who ran a tavern elsewhere in town, bought the property in 1838, and his descendants have held it ever since. The house began on a hall-chamber plan, later converted to a central passage. It has a stone foundation, tall brick end chimneys and a mid-nineteenth-century Greek Revival porch. One chimney is laid in Flemish bond with glazed headers, a pattern the form calls extremely rare in early Valley of Virginia construction. The parlor has an elaborate Federal mantel with carved rosettes and stop-fluted Doric pilasters. A rear kitchen ell and an early smokehouse/summer kitchen survive. Once residential, the street is now commercial, which leaves the house as an anomaly among concrete-block buildings.
Significance in brief: The house is one of the oldest substantially intact dwellings in Waynesboro and one of a handful of antebellum structures left in the city. It has elaborate Federal-style mantels and an exterior end chimney of Flemish-bond brick with glazed headers, a rare survival in the Valley of Virginia. It is eligible under Criterion C for architecture.
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 90002178, listed January 24, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1012 W. Main St., Waynesboro (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Waynesboro |
| Listed | January 24, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002178 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1810-1880 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling with a secondary structure; the form says the owner's family has lived there continuously, and the house is relatively unaltered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.07137, -78.89736 (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 90002178.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7205388
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.