How one Madison County farm’s rehabilitation applied the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties to preserve the property’s historic fabric while modernizing it for 21st-century living.  

By Elizabeth Lipford | DHR Easement Stewardship Specialist

After vacationing in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains 15 years ago, Peter and Clare Harrison knew they wanted to relocate here someday. Thus began the dream and the pursuit of finding the perfect mid-size farm on which to live and raise Clare’s heritage sheep herd. While in Virginia in 2022 investigating a property that ultimately did not meet their needs, the real estate agent mentioned a farm in Madison County that was coming on the market soon. A visit to the Gentry Farm was arranged, and Peter and Clare found that it checked all the boxes: beautiful mountain views, pastures for the sheep, agricultural buildings and a charming farmhouse. It was an immediate yes until they found out the property also included a perpetual historic preservation easement. Clare admits, at first, that this was quite intimidating with its legal responsibilities, including the requirements for maintaining the property’s historic character and viewsheds, and the restrictions on new construction. Her first reaction was, We can’t do this, then Can we do this? Who do we talk to? Peter spent hours researching the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and how those Standards might apply to their plans. Yes, they decided, this could work.

Prior to purchase, the Harrisons began a dialogue with DHR easement staff, about their desire to build an addition on the existing 1941 farmhouse and make other improvements to the property. DHR staff, Megan Melinat and Brad McDonald, met on site with the Harrisons, which followed with the review of numerous sketches of a proposed addition and landscaping. Conversations also included the potential impact on archaeological resources and the need to avoid the 18th-century cemetery near the existing house. Peter said the beginning and the end of the journey were very different, but what they experienced working with DHR was an “intelligent application of the [Secretary of the Interior’s] guidelines that was firm and well-defined, yet flexible and realistic.” He said, “DHR’s sincere desire to understand our goals and objectives for the property made us want to do the same.” The result, they said, is a home that they love and a commitment to an ongoing, communicative relationship with DHR.

Now, three years later, the property includes a carefully restored farmhouse with a compatible modern addition, new landscaping with a swimming pool, and a sensitively placed solar array on a ground mount. Not visible are the extensive improvements to underground systems, all done to avoid potential archaeological deposits. Currently underway is the stabilization of the property’s centerpiece historic resource, the Hoffman Round Barn. After decades of heavy use on a farm, battered by cows and wind, the barn had developed a slight lean to one side. A leaky roof, wet hay and interior space that was less useful for modern farming all contributed to the deterioration of this primarily wooden building. To date, interior structural framing and flooring have been repaired or replaced with like materials, as well as exterior weatherboards on the central wooden silo. This fall, stabilization efforts will conclude with roof repairs. The project will utilize State Rehabilitation Tax Credits. The Harrison’s goal is to secure the condition of the barn for the next 100 years.

The 12-sided wood frame barn was constructed in 1913 by Haywood Montebello “Tiny” Dawson for T. S. Hoffman. It is one of three circular barns constructed by Tiny Dawson in the area, and one of two that survive; the other is also in Madison County. Round barns had a short period of popularity. Their numerous advantages were often promoted by agricultural colleges and institutions. For a modest size farm, a round barn was economical to construct, efficiently served as livestock quarters, and included space for the storage of grain and hay. However, they became obsolete when 20th-century mechanization led to more large-scale farms. Of particular interest for the Hoffman barn, is the wooden silo built in the center and projecting through the roof. Recognized as a rare barn type, it was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. That same year, the Gentry family donated the historic preservation easement to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. The easement included protective measures for 146 acres of the original farm.

The Gentry family still resides in the area. Ms. Gentry, now 92 years old, regularly visits the Harrisons and shares memories of growing up on the farm, including having to fetch food from the Spring Box. Peter and Clare value this relationship and said that it reminds them that their stewardship duty is not only to the historic resources on the farm but also to the Gentry family and their history on this land. Due to the desire of the Gentry family to preserve the property by the donation of an easement, along with Peter and Clare Harrison’s commitment to its ongoing stewardship, the Gentry Farm, with its rare round barn, remains a viable historic agricultural landscape in the 21st century.