Virginia State Seal Virginia Department of Historic Resources

077-0045 Rockwood

Rockwood
Photo credit: Michael Pulice/DHR, 2004

*Click on image to enlarge.

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 03/16/2005

NRHP Listing Date 05/26/2005

NRHP Reference Number 05000473

An outstanding late Greek Revival house built in 1874–75 for cattle dealer Francis Bell, Sr., Rockwood is notable for its functional and decorative features, including windows with iron lintels and louvered awning shutters, a sky-lit stair hall, decorative floorboards, and plaster cornices and medallions with acanthus, fruit, and female cameo motifs. Architect Robert C. Burkholder and builder John P. Pettyjohn, both of Lynchburg, designed and built the mansion for Bell, who was an innovator in the export of live cattle to Great Britain, a lucrative trade he adapted from Canadian precedent. The Pulaski County property includes a log smokehouse and a large farm complex that supplied food to the nearby Radford Ordnance Works during World War II. Rockwood is significant not only for its extensive dairy farm, but also for its extant quality of design and craftsmanship.


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: February 11, 2022