The closet windows in the wide exterior end chimneys of Montpelier give singularity to a relatively standard plantation house of the colonial period. Closets in colonial houses were not used strictly for storage but often served as pantries, dressing rooms, or toilet areas, uses requiring daylight and benefiting from the warmth of the chimney. The deceptively large-scale Surry County dwelling has original weatherboarding and facades dominated by large windows with original sash. Montpelier probably was built in the third quarter of the 18th century by Charles Harrison on property inherited in 1744. The roof originally had clipped gables but they were covered over during an early-19th-century remodeling, which included the installation of much of the present interior woodwork. Montpelier stood neglected for a number of years but was restored in the late 1970s.
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