Kurtz, Adam, House
Also known as: Washington's Headquarters
Why it's listed
Known locally as Washington's Headquarters, this small log and stone building sits at the corner of Braddock and Cork Streets in Winchester, Virginia, in a city park. It has three rooms in a row under one slate gable roof. The center section is hewn log and was probably standing by 1764, when Thomas Rutherford lived on the lot. A stone room on the west and a round-log room on the east were added later. Local tradition links George Washington to the house as a surveying office and as a military headquarters during construction of Fort Loudoun, though later research doubts the surveying claim and none of the connections can be documented. Adam Kurtz, a veteran of Daniel Morgan's riflemen, bought it in 1778, and his family held it until the city bought it in 1908 to preserve it as a shrine. It now houses a local history museum and is valued as an early non-farm example of Valley vernacular building.
Significance in brief: The building is one of the oldest in Winchester and has come to symbolize the city's ties to the French and Indian War, although its links to George Washington cannot be documented. Its 1908 purchase by the city marks an early municipal effort at historic preservation. It is also an early example of non-agrarian Valley vernacular building.
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 76002233, listed May 17, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE corner of Braddock and Cork Sts., Winchester (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Winchester |
| Listed | May 17, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76002233 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Valley vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of Winchester and used as a local history museum; condition listed as good. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Winchester Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.18250, -78.16776 (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 76002233.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16893750
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.