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Occupying the edge of a steeply sloped rise in the Montgomery County village of Graysontown, the festive Victorian-style Grayson-Gravely House is a surprisingly bold architectural statement for a somnolent hamlet. Particularly striking is the idiosyncratic treatment of the porch gable and second-floor window hoods, which are gaily decked out with patterned shingles, scrolled brackets, turned finials, and lacy sawn fascias. Distinctive as well is the three-level side tower with its sawn-work railing. The house was built ca. 1881 for Ephraim C. Grayson, member of the village’s local founding family. It was sold in 1889 to J. H. H. Gravely who moved the house to its present site from farther up the hill. Local tradition has it that the house received its decorative flourishes at the behest of Mrs. Gravely following the move. Much of the material may have been produced in the local Grayson family sawmill.
The Grayson-Gravely House was listed in the registers under the Prehistoric and Historic Resources of Montgomery County MPD.
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
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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
