Wheatland Manor is among the most substantial and well-finished antebellum residences in Botetourt County. Although the Federal-style interior woodwork is relatively understated, the later two-tier Doric gallery shows the builder’s knowledge of the Greek Revival style at its finest. The house was built in the 1820s when the brothers Joel, Jesse, and Silas Rowland jointly owned the property. Deputy sheriff Rufus Pitzer purchased the house along with a gristmill and a sawmill from Silas Rowland’s son in 1851. Pitzer dressed up the façade by adding the gallery. It was also during Pitzer’s ownership that a half-mile-long limestone retaining wall was constructed along the county road. After the Civil War, Wheatland Manor was home to Jacob Cronise, the county’s leading cattle farmer. Wheatland Manor underwent restoration at the end of the 20th century.
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