Located along Knotts Creek and the Nansemond River in northern Suffolk, the Ames-Old Farm exemplifies the typical home of a yeoman farmer in Virginia’s Tidewater region in the early 19th century. In addition to the farm’s original, two-and-a-half-story main house, which was built in 1815 in the Federal architectural style, the property also encompasses six agricultural outbuildings, all of which were built in the mid- to late-19th century and early-20th century. In around 1875 the house was expanded to include a dining room and kitchen, marking the first phase of modifications, before additional rooms were added in 1965 and a garage in 1985. The Ames-Old Farm’s evolution reflects its owners’ efforts to accommodate shifting domestic and agricultural needs at the turn of the 20th century.