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• - Browse neighboring items by call number.
• Collection: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey

• Title: Rural Plains, 7273 Studley Road (State Route 606), Mechanicsville, Hanover County, VA
• Other Title: Richmond National Battlefield Park
• Creator(s): Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
• Related Names:
     Shelton, William, Jr.
     Shelton, John
     Price, Virginia Barrett , transmitter
     McLeod, Cynthia , sponsor
     Wells, Camille , researcher
     Blaakman, Michael , field team
     Glock, Judge , field team
     Hansen, Chris R. , field team
     Waterman, Thomas T. , photographer
     Horna, Casey D. , field team
     Lasdow, Katy , field team
     Thomas, Sarah , field team
• Date Created/Published: Documentation compiled after 1933
• Medium: Photo(s): 3
  Data Page(s): 6
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html)
  
• Call Number: HABS VA,43-MECHA.V,4-
• Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
• Notes:
  • Significance: The Shelton family's dwelling house known as Rural Plains is an important example of early colonial Virginia architecture with its gambrel roof, the use of Flemish bond with glazed headers and rubbed brick details (such as in the jack arches), putlog holes, dormer windows, entry porch with chamber above. The last feature is redundant in function given the central-passage floor plan. Rural Plains is also important in the social history of early Virginia, with the Shelton family holding important local posts, such as with the vestry of St. Paul's Parish, and marrying into the broader community, including John Shelton's marriage to Eleanor Parks, the daughter of Virginia Gazette founder William Parks, and Sarah Shelton's marriage in 1754 to Patrick Henry. The house and surrounding acreage remained in Shelton stewarsdhip, through the Civil War wherein Union Major Winfield S. Hancock established his headquarters in the house in May of 1864 and up to 2001 when William Shelton, Jr., conveyed the property to a foundation. In 2006 the property was transferred to the National Park Service.
  • Survey number: HABS VA-753
  • Building/structure dates: 1724-1726 Initial Construction
  • Building/structure dates: 1784-1785 Subsequent Work
  • National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 75002021
• Subjects:
  • houses
  • plantations
  • war (Civil War)
  • country life
  • gambrel roofs
  • Colonial architectural elements
  • domestic life
• Place:
  • Virginia--Hanover County--Mechanicsville
• Latitude/Longitude: 37.660793, -77.346991
• Collections:
  • Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey
• Part of: Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
• Bookmark This Record:
     https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/va0503/

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and Restrictions Information page ( https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html ).

• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Call Number: HABS VA,43-MECHA.V,4-
• Medium: Photo(s): 3
  Data Page(s): 6

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

• Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
• Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
• If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
• Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
• Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
• If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
• Data Pages
• Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

• Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
• P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
• Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
• You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
• Make note of the Call Number listed above.
• Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
• The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
• All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

• Call Number: HABS VA,43-MECHA.V,4-
• Medium: Photo(s): 3
  Data Page(s): 6

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

   • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.

     As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)

   • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

   • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.

   • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.

3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.