Located along the Blue Ridge in western Albemarle County, the 265-acre Estes Farm represents a 19th- through 20th-century farm complex. Its historic features include a mid-19th century log dwelling; a late-19th century wood-frame main house; a large barn and small hay/tobacco barn; a corncrib; an icehouse/storage house; a kitchen/tenant house; a garage; a metal truss bridge; and family cemetery. Richard Durrett likely constructed the log house about 1840 before the Estes family purchased the land in 1846. The family built a new main dwelling, circa 1880, that utilizes Greek Revival and Italianate styles, reflecting the family’s increased status and prosperity in the post-Civil War decades—a trend in keeping with other farms in Albemarle County’s northwest, distinguishing them from farms struggling economically in eastern Albemarle. Although a two-story ell was added to the main structure in the mid-1970s, the main house retains a high level of integrity. Operating continuously for over 165 years as a farm, the Estes Farm property is associated with horse breeding at the time of its listing.
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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