Expanding Clermont Farm’s Historic Designation with New Research

Clermont Farm is seeking to expand its historic designation to reflect new research and discoveries made since its original listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. In 2013, a multidisciplinary team of historians, architects, and conservators completed a comprehensive Historic Structure Report that produced detailed findings on the farm’s architecture, materials, and chronology. Dendrochronology confirmed precise dates for timber felling and construction phases, while paint analysis revealed original finishes and later alterations. These studies, along with a current building inventory that accounts for structures lost in the 2018 fire, provide a more complete and accurate understanding of Clermont’s historic fabric and significance.

The most important discovery prompting this update is the revised construction date of the earliest section of the Clermont house to 1756, which is 14 years earlier than previously believed. This correction shifts the attribution of the original build from Edward Snickers to Thomas Wadlington, who acquired the property in 1753. The updated nomination also incorporates newly verified dates for outbuildings, expanded histories of the owner families and tenant managers, and contextual interpretation that aligns with these findings. While the destruction of family records in the 1950s continues to limit documentation of the individuals enslaved at Clermont, the expanded designation will strengthen recognition of the farm’s role in Virginia’s agricultural, architectural, and social history.