The George Washington Rader House in Botetourt County reflects changing construction methods and materials, and architectural trends found in rural western Virginia during the 19th and early-20th centuries. Its earliest portion, a two-story log dwelling, was built before 1820. Around 1830, a brick addition nearly tripled the size of the original residence. In the early-20th century a one-story rear addition provided space for a kitchen and bathroom. These three parts of the house—of log, brick, and frame—reveal the evolution of a prominent family’s residence. The George Washington Rader House property also contains a collection of agricultural buildings representing more than a century of family farming.