The Bowman Farm occupies 700 acres of cleared and forested slopes on the southern flank of Cahas Mountain, an outlying peak of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Franklin County property is associated with the lifeways of a religious denomination known as the Brethren or German Baptists; according to tradition, local Brethren used the 1830s Bowman farmhouse for worship. Architectural evidence of this fact survives in the form of hinged partitions that were raised to open up the interior for services. The brick house, with late Georgian-style interiors, was built for Daniel Bowman, Sr., who was influential in the Brethren community. The 1830s house and rear circa 1900 addition were sensitively rehabilitated in 1999. Early outbuildings and the family cemetery constitute a Blue Ridge farmstead of historic interest and scenic beauty.
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