An excellent example of the most characteristic type of late eighteenth-century Tidewater domestic architecture is this three-bay frame gambrel-roofed house on a raised basement, built by Edward Doughty, a local merchant. Many comparable examples, built as homes in small villages and as farmhouses, can be found scattered throughout southern Chesapeake. Such houses had either single or, as in this case, double-pile plans. These houses attest to the conservative nature of late eighteenth-century Virginia society. An original one-story lean-to addition is on the north side, and the house has three exterior chimneys. A raised stoop leads to the principal entrance, which is topped by a five-light transom and opens directly into a large hall. The main floor of the interior is divided into four other spaces: kitchen, chamber, chamber-parlor, and a small closet.