Provost (Powhatan, Virginia) facts for kids
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Provost
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 4801 Cartersville Rd., near Powhatan, Virginia |
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| Area | 61 acres (25 ha) |
| Built | c. 1800 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001603 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 22, 1999 |
Provost is a special old house located near Powhatan in Powhatan County, Virginia. It's known as a historic home because it has been around for a very long time. The first part of the house was built around the year 1800.
Over the years, Provost wasn't just a home. It also served as a busy general store and even a post office for many decades. Today, it helps us understand what life was like in Virginia a long time ago.
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Discovering Provost: A Historic Home
Provost is a great example of a historic building. It shows us how people lived and worked in the past. The house itself has a unique story, growing bigger over time to meet the needs of its owners and the community.
The Story of Provost's Buildings
The very first part of Provost was built around 1800. It was a one-and-a-half-story house made of wood, with three main sections. Imagine a house that has been standing for over 200 years!
In the middle of the 1800s, the house got bigger. Three more sections were added, making it much larger. This expansion likely happened because more space was needed for the family or for the businesses that would later operate there.
Life and Business at Provost
Provost was more than just a house; it was a center of community life. From at least 1867 until about 1945, a general store operated right inside the building. A general store sold all sorts of things, from food to tools, serving as the main shopping spot for people living nearby.
Later, from 1902 to 1939, Provost also housed a post office. This meant people could send and receive mail right from the house. It was a very important place for communication in the area.
Other Buildings on the Property
Besides the main house, there are other old buildings on the Provost property. These smaller buildings were also very important for daily life.
One building is a smokehouse with a wash house attached. A smokehouse was used to preserve meat, and a wash house was where laundry was done. This wash house used to be a blacksmith shop, where metal items were made and repaired.
There is also a corn house, which was used to store corn, and a machine shed, likely for keeping farm equipment safe. These buildings show us how people managed their farms and households long ago.
A Protected Piece of History
Because Provost is so old and has such an interesting history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. This means it is recognized as an important historical site by the United States government. Being on this list helps protect the property and makes sure its history can be preserved for future generations to learn from.
