Surrounded by a scenic Piedmont landscape, The Plains Historic District covers about 130 acres within this small, incorporated town in Fauquier County. The area was first identified as “The Plains” or “White Plains” on maps as early as the 1820s, and in 1831 a post office was established there. The arrival of the Manassas Gap Railroad in the early 1850s spurred its emergence as a commercial center and hub for surrounding agricultural estates. Along with its surviving residences, the community features several well-preserved institutional, commercial, and transportation-related buildings, along with a rare Masonic lodge building and four churches. During the first three decades of the 20th century, The Plains was reinvigorated and transformed by the relocation of the foxhunting operation of the Orange County (New York) Hunt to Fauquier County. The The Plains Historic District’s historic buildings reflect its growth from 1850 through the early 1960s.
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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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