Nebraska House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nebraska House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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The Nebraska House in 2005
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| Nearest city | Appomattox, Virginia |
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| Area | 199 acres (81 ha) |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architect | Robinson, Charles; et al. |
| Architectural style | Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian |
| Part of | Appomattox Historic District (ID02000510) |
| Added to NRHP | May 16, 2002 |
The Nebraska House is a historic home in Appomattox, Virginia. It was built in 1854 for Colonel Samuel D. McDearmon and his wife, Mary Frances Philadelphia (Walton) McDearmon. Today, it is recognized as an important part of the Appomattox Historic District and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
History of the Nebraska House
Colonel McDearmon faced financial problems in 1853. His businesses and investments in Clover Hill were not doing well. A big reason was that the railroad did not build a station in Clover Hill as he had hoped. This made his land investments less valuable.
McDearmon had to declare bankruptcy. He made a long list of his properties to be sold to pay off his debts. His brother and brother-in-law were in charge of selling these properties. However, his wife, Mary Frances, had special "dower rights." This meant she could keep some of her husband's property.
Because of these rights, McDearmon transferred some valuable properties to his wife's name. This helped clear the way for other properties to be sold. In the end, he owned nothing and had no debts. His wife, however, became quite wealthy.
By the fall of 1854, McDearmon's debts were settled. His wife ended up owning about 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land. This land was close to the new train station, which was about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Clover Hill. Since McDearmon could not own property without it being taken for debts, his wife owned the land safely.
The McDearmons decided to move west. They packed their belongings from Clover Hill. Colonel McDearmon wanted to go to Nebraska, but his wife wanted to go to Texas. Her sister had recently moved to Texas.
They settled near the Appomattox Station. They moved into a simple, six-room Virginia farmhouse. This house was later named the "Nebraska House." The small town where the train stopped was even officially called Nebraska for a while. This name was a nod to McDearmon's original goal of reaching Nebraska.
After Colonel McDearmon passed away in 1871, John R. Atwood bought the "Nebraska House." Atwood had worked for McDearmon in his store. Atwood died in 1912, and his wife moved back to Richmond, Virginia.
In 1925, Atwood's wife sold the house to C.S. McDearmon. He was a grandson of the original owner. This brought the house back into the McDearmon family. The house stayed with the family until 1993, when a retired airline pilot bought it.
What the Nebraska House Looks Like
The first house the McDearmons built was a two-story building with six rooms. This part is now the back of the current house. Today, the Nebraska House is a 2+1⁄2-story Victorian mansion.
John Atwood and his wife made big changes to the house in 1872. They remodeled it, giving it a Queen Anne style architecture in the United States look. This style was very popular in the 1800s.
After 1896, the house was remodeled again. The columns, porch rails, and decorative trim were changed. New fluted columns were added. This gave the outside of the house a Greek Revival architecture style appearance.
The house has a three-story tower, called a turret, on its northeast corner. It also has a large porch that wraps around the house. This porch has fourteen fluted Ionic columns. The main front entrance, built after 1896, looks like a Roman temple. It has a different design on each side.
Pictures of the Nebraska House
The above color pictures show the inside of the Nebraska House as it looked in 2004.
