Fox, John, Jr., House
Why it's listed
This rambling shingle-style house at 117 Shawnee Avenue in Big Stone Gap began in 1890 as a four-room cottage for the Fox brothers, who were overseeing mining investments in the area. Over about twenty years it grew into a two-story, twenty-room house as more of the family moved in, with another enlargement around 1908 when John Fox, Jr., brought his wife, singer Fritzi Scheff, to town. The frame building rests on stone foundations, is covered in dark brown wood shingles, and has a series of irregular gable roofs, porches and scattered brick chimneys. Fox lived here from 1890 until his death in 1919 and wrote his best-selling novels, The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, drawing on the mountain regions of Kentucky and Southwest Virginia. The house stayed in the family until 1971 and is now a museum open to the public.
Significance in brief: It was the home of Virginia author John Fox, Jr., from 1890 until his death in 1919. Most of his productive years were spent there, and the surrounding mountain regions inspired his popular novels, including The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. The Fox family also made the house a center of art, culture and entertainment.
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 74002151, listed June 7, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 117 Shawnee Ave., Big Stone Gap |
|---|---|
| County | Wise County |
| Listed | June 7, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74002151 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Shingle style (described as a rambling shingle-style house) |
| Areas of significance | Literature |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Lonesome Pine Arts and Crafts Association and open to the public as a museum; condition listed as good and altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.86591, -82.77824 (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 74002151.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15229660
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.