The Big Question: When Was It Built?

Warning: The information below is a result of processing the fruits of our research on the house. No final determinations can yet be made about the actual date of construction of the home.

1962 photo of the house:

Conjectural sketch of original appearance of house:

by J. Emily Patton

Documentary evidence of original wing:

1895 Sanborn Insurance Map

Map indicates wood cornice on front, which implies a gable roof
Chimney has four flues, equally spaced...the house's fourth fireplace is on the exterior, facing into what was the wing
portions of the wing's brick foundation have been unearthed

Original floor plan of the house:

(click for larger view...actual file is 128K.)

Photos of Switchback Staircase (with winders)

Reasons the house could have been built by Peter Elliott between 1814 and 1816	Reasons the house could have been built before Peter Elliott's ownership (pre-1814)	Information needed to resolve this issue
Peter Elliott purchased the property from Agatha Dicks in 1814 for $1,025. By the spring of 1816, the property was assessed at $3,500.00. The brick house that now stands on the property could have been responsible for this increase. (*There was no assessed value of the lot when Agatha owned it, because widows did not pay tax)	Peter Elliott purchased the property from Agatha Dicks in 1814 for $1,025. Most empty lots in the area were selling for $300-$400 at that time. The high sale price indicates that there was probably a structure of some sort already on the property. The $3,500.00 value in 1816 could have been a result of the construction of a frame house on the back half of Lot #175. The presence of this house was implied in two land transactions which took place between Elliott and his neighbor Caleb Johnson and between Elliott and William Oakey in 1836.
Being a builder, Peter had the opportunity to custom-build a house that suited his family's needs and tastes.	By the time Peter moved to Lynchburg, he had 20 years in the carpentry and house building trade under his belt. He apprenticed with noted Richmond builder William McKim, who was superintendent of the Governor's Mansion project in 1811. Peter probably moved to Lynchburg to take advantage of the building boom of the 1810's. If he built a new house for himself, he would obviously want to showcase his skills and knowledge of the styles of the day. The house at 622 Harrison does not reflect the "high style" of the day. Examples include the front door in the center of the facade (rather than in the right or left bay), the 7'10" ceiling height, and the staircase in the rear of the house that consisted of switchbacks with winders...all of these are found in earlier homes. In 1817, Peter advertised that he was making gun stocks, which is a fine craft. If he had carving and woodworking ability, which written evidence points to, one would expect the woodwork in the house to be a few notches above average. Instead, the woodwork is very simple (baseboard and chair-rail only have a single bead, and the existing mantel is very plain). The house was built on the corner of the lot, probably to allow for future subdivision of the property (which did occur). It would stand to reason that a builder would also follow common practice of the period by placing the front door on the opposite end of the house from the street corner, thus allowing two additional bays to be added later to the left side of the house, creating a symmetrical five-bay home. Instead, a 1 1/2 story brick addition was built on the left side of the house. This addition appears to have been original to the house, as the house's chimney has four equally divided flues...the fourth fireplace is now on the exterior of the home, facing into what was the addition. Not only did this addition prevent the future expansion of the home, it bucked the norm of symmetry during the 1810's.	Examples of other structures attributed to Peter Elliott need to be found and compared to the house at 622 Harrison Street. These examples could be located in Richmond and Lynchburg, Virginia and in Lexington, Kentucky.
	Agatha acquired Lot #175 from the estate of her brother-in-law, Achilles Douglas, who was one of the original trustees of Lynchburg. Douglas owned a large amount of land, including a tract stretching from Fishing Creek (near present-day Florida Avenue) to John Lynch's line (at present day Fifth Street, I think). For some reason, Agatha returned to Lynchburg shortly after Douglas's death and sued his estate. The resolution of this suit was to grant Agatha an unspecified amount of land for the sum of $1.00. After this suit's conclusion, land records indicate that Agatha owned a half acre lot (#175) and over 140 acres on the south side of Campbell County, near Seneca Creek. Something about the half acre lot either made Agatha want it, or made Douglas's heirs want to give it to her. See next note (below)	The lawsuit refers to a bill (legal document) that describes the properties conveyed to Agatha. Searches for this bill at Campbell Court House have not, to this day, been successful. It is difficult to track this lot before Agatha owned it, as it seems to have been carved from Douglas's property. This section of Campbell County was not incorporated into Lynchburg until 1814.
	Perhaps Agatha sued Douglas's estate for Lot #175 because her family lived their during the 1790's. Agatha's husband advertised in a 1795 Lynchburg newspaper that he was making windsor chairs at his shop in Amherst County about 1/2 mile from the James River and Lynch's Ferry. However, tax records of the time indicate that William Dicks was living in Campbell County, which implies that he "commuted" to his shop via the ferry. Records suggest that Agatha and William never owned real estate in Virginia. Perhaps they were living on the property of their brother-in-law, Achilles Douglas. William died in late 1798, and Agatha and her children moved to North Carolina for the next ten years.	Personal papers or correspondence from either Douglas or Dicks may help resolve this.