Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/10/1994
NRHP Listing Date 08/30/1994
NRHP Reference Number 94001028
The Poplar Springs dwelling house was once the center of a 312-acre plantation owned by Joseph Vaiden. It was situated on the busy Old Main Road that formerly connected the Charles City county seat to Williamsburg. The Vaidens established a settlement here called Vaiden’s Crossroads, one of several crossroads communities serving both travelers and the county’s inland population. The original section, built in 1809 by Joseph Vaiden’s son Jacob, was a single-pile, side-passage-plan dwelling, which, though tiny, was not unusual for middling landholders. Jacob Vaiden’s son Robert enlarged the house in 1840-1844, making it a symmetrical three-bay dwelling. He also added a story-and-a-half wing. The interior retains simple painted woodwork and six-panel doors with H-L hinges, brass knobs, and iron box locks. Two bricks on the west chimney, inscribed “IV 1809” and “RJV 1840,” document the dates of the two parts of Poplar Springs.
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
Updated: April 26, 2022
