Nathaniel E. Spessard House,The Castle
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Todd Hill (Nathaniel E. Spessard House, The Castle)
1898, George F. Barber. 84 Cumberland Ave.
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(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones)
Merchant and banker Spessard chose Barber's mail-order architectural firm for his grand residence on a hilltop at New Castle's southwestern boundary. The house was known locally as the Castle. Spessard was elected in 1904 to his first of six consecutive terms as Craig and Alleghany counties' representative to the Virginia General Assembly. His two-story brick house has a steeply sloped, hipped and gabled roof. It also has a three-story round corner tower embellished with paneled woodwork, decorative brickwork vent panels, corbeled brick courses, and a conical roof topped by an ornate finial. The front entrance is emphasized by a pedimented bay within the extensive wraparound porch and a projecting gabled balcony centered over the front door. Leaded and stained glass windows and cherry woodwork in the staircase with barley-twist balusters highlight the interior. The house dominates its large site, which remains in general use as a farm. Several brick and frame outbuildings for domestic and agricultural functions were added during the twentieth century.
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