Built around 1828, this brick I-house is a document of the architectural requirements of one of Tazewell County’s most outstanding citizens, James Wynn. While seemingly plain, it was, compared to ordinary housing here, a substantial dwelling for its time and place, having a Flemish-bond brick façade and Federal woodwork within. James Wynn was the son of William Wynn, a Quaker pioneer. Following his marriage to Sophia Peery, daughter of a prominent late 18th century settler, he became a successful entrepreneur. Along with his other activities, Wynn ran a tannery next to the house. This enterprise was continued by William Owen Yost, who purchased the property in 1858. The house was purchased by John Newton Harman and his wife Bettie in 1919. Harman was a minister and a lawyer who had been elected commonwealth’s attorney in 1883, and to the Virginia State Senate in 1901. He wrote the state’s prohibition bill that remained in effect until prohibition was repealed nationally in the 1930s. The James Wynn House has since undergone various modifications but it preserves its historic character and maintains a semi-rural setting within the heart of the town of Tazewell.
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
Nomination Form
Programs
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