Built in the 1820s, the brick house of Locust Level illustrates the high degree of architectural refinement common in many of Bedford County’s early dwellings. Although basically an I-house, it is set off by a finely detailed doorway surround, modillion cornice, precise brickwork, and bold interior woodwork including a fine stair. The house was built for Paschal G. Buford (1791-1875), one of 19th-century Bedford County’s largest landowners and developers. Buford also was an agronomist and served as a county justice. Buford was also responsible for securing a top rock from the Peaks of Otter from which a block was cut and sent as Virginia’s contribution to the Washington Monument. In 1863 Locust Level served as a retreat for Gen. Robert E. Lee’s wife and two daughters. On the property are the ruins of the 18th-century Henry Buford House, 19th-century outbuildings, and a family cemetery.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia