In a pastoral setting above the James River in Bedford County, the compact early-19th-century farmhouse of Hope Dawn is a refined and well-preserved example of Piedmont Virginia’s Federal vernacular. Its finely crafted details and balanced proportions illustrate the high standards maintained by builders even for modest houses in relatively remote areas. Noteworthy features are the original porches, the Flemish-bond brickwork, and the finely detailed Federal mantels based on designs in Owen Biddle’s The Young Carpenter’s Assistant (1805). The construction date is uncertain. The house may have been standing when the property was acquired in 1827 by Dr. Howell Davies, a Lynchburg druggist, who used Hope Dawn as a country home. Preserved in front of Hope Dawn is a short section of the old Bethel Road, an early turnpike. The road is still lined with its original stone retaining walls and dressed-stone gateposts.