On a bank above the south fork of the Shenandoah River, the Heiston-Strickler House, also known as the Old Stone House, is among the best preserved of Page County’s Germanic dwellings. The unadorned structure was built ca. 1790 either for Jacob Heiston or his son Abraham and was still owned by their descendants at the time of listing in the Virginia Landmarks Register. The three-room floor plan, vaulted cellar, two-bay façade, and hillside setting are all attributes inherited from central European prototypes and introduced by settlers of Germanic origin moving from Pennsylvania. Evidence of English influence is shown in the use of common-rafter framing and end chimneys rather than principal-purlin framing and a center chimney, the latter features being more characteristic of German houses. The house underwent alterations in the early 19th century, but the original plan is evident, and much of its original plain woodwork survives.
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