Haw Branch is an outstanding example of Southside Virginia Federal architecture, one of the finest plantation houses in the region. The Amelia County house received its present form in the early 19th century under its owner John Tabb, a burgess, whose father, Thomas Tabb, assembled the plantation before 1745. An earlier house was incorporated in the west wing. The Haw Branch property’s name was derived from the nearby stream lined with hawthorn trees. The most striking feature of the house is its elaborate interior woodwork carved with regionally interpreted Adamesque motifs, including urns, swags, hawthorn blossoms, and sunbursts. Haw Branch passed by inheritance to Tabb’s daughter and descended thereafter to daughters. The Haw Branch grounds preserve a row of early outbuildings, all with clipped gable roofs. The house was restored in the latter part of the 20th century by a descendant of Thomas Tabb, who purchased the property in 1965.
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
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