Sessions-Pope-Sheild House
Also known as: Sheild House; Sessions House; 99-0019
Why it's listed
Standing on a half-acre lot at the corner of Nelson and Main Streets in Yorktown, this one-and-a-half-story brick house dates to the mid-eighteenth century. Its walls are whitewashed Flemish bond brick laid with oyster-shell mortar, and it has a clipped-gable (jerkin-head) slate roof, an original modillion cornice and an elaborately stepped west chimney. Inside, a central hall leads to a round-arched opening with fluted pilasters and keystone, and the stair is placed at the rear so visitors see no sign of an upper floor. A newel post copies one in the neighboring Nelson House. Later changes include a mid-nineteenth-century kitchen wing, a porch, and a reworked basement, but the original appearance remains intact. A 1950 garage is noncontributing. Archaeological testing in 2002 found three colonial walls, including brick and marl foundations, suggesting that buried remains of earlier outbuildings could provide important information. The house has been a single-family home throughout its history.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as an excellent, largely unaltered example of a mid-eighteenth-century Virginia masonry dwelling, with Flemish bond brickwork, a jerkin-head roof and a distinctive central-hall plan with a rear stair. It also notes archaeological potential: 2002 testing found colonial brick and marl foundations, indicating integrity and potential to yield important information.
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 03000572, listed June 23, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 600 Main St., Yorktown |
|---|---|
| County | York County |
| Listed | June 23, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000572 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial-Southern Colonial/Georgian |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Continuously occupied as a single-family dwelling since it was first built; the basement has been altered the most. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 37.23410, -76.50666 (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 03000572.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7456140
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.