Longwood House
Longwood House in March 2014.
Longwood House (Farmville, Virginia) is located in Virginia
Longwood House (Farmville, Virginia)
Longwood House (Farmville, Virginia) is located in the United States
Longwood House (Farmville, Virginia)
LocationJohnston Drive, Farmville, Virginia
Coordinates37°17′30″N 78°22′48″W / 37.29167°N 78.38000°W / 37.29167; -78.38000
Area4 acres (1.6 ha)
Builtc. 1815 (1815), c. 1839
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Federal
NRHP reference No.84003564[1]
VLR No.144-0025
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 8, 1984
Designated VLROctober 18, 1983[2]

Longwood House is a historic home located at Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia, and functions as the home of the president of Longwood University. It is a 2+1⁄2-story, three-bay, frame dwelling with a gable roof. It features Greek Revival style woodwork and Doric order porch. Longwood House has a central passage, double-pile plan. It has a two-story wing added about 1839, and a second wing added in the 1920s, when the property was purchased by Longwood University.[3] The house is located next to the university golf course, and since 2006, athletic fields used by the Longwood Lancers.

History

The site of the home was originally owned by Scottish immigrant Peter Johnston, having purchased it in 1765. The property was later sold to Abraham B. Venable in 1811; following his death shortly thereafter in the Richmond Theatre fire, it was inherited by a relative, Samuel. The current house was built about 1815, and enlarged and remodeled about 1839. The site was the birthplace of two well-known Confederate officers: Johnston's grandson Joseph E. Johnston in 1807, and Samuel Venable's grandson, Charles S. Venable, in 1827.

Longwood House was purchased by what was then the State Teachers College at Farmville in 1929. Twenty years later, the school renamed itself Longwood College after the house;[4] the school then changed its name to Longwood University in 2002. It has been used as the home of the university president since 1969.[5]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission staff (1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Longwood House" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
  4. ^ "State Board Names College Longwood". The Rotunda. March 30, 1949. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  5. ^ "History of the Bed & Breakfast". Longwood University Bed & Breakfast. Retrieved May 19, 2015.


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