Woodford is an example of Virginia’s transitional vernacular architecture, combining features of the simple cottages of early colonial times with more formal, symmetrical qualities of the Georgian style. The cottage-like aspect is emphasized by the quaint silhouette of the clipped-gable roof, a roof form popular in 18th-century Northern Neck houses. Woodford’s traditional hall-parlor plan incorporates the central passage associated with Georgian plans. The otherwise formal exterior has irregularly spaced openings that reflect the unevenness of the room sizes. The house was built between 1756 and 1773 for Billington McCarty, Jr., whose family had owned the Richmond County property since 1661. The stair has an unusual banister, at first appearing to have upside-down balusters but actually following sophisticated English precedents. Rare survivals are the remnants of interior clapboarding used here as a cheap, practical second-floor wall and ceiling finish.
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