Speed the Plough (Monroe, Virginia)
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Speed the Plough
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| Location | 389 Fair Lea Ln., Monroe, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 37°31′59″N 79°11′28″W / 37.53306°N 79.19111°WCoordinates: 37°31′59″N 79°11′28″W / 37.53306°N 79.19111°W |
| Area | 294 acres (119 ha) |
| Built | 1850 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Tudor Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 07000391 |
| VLR # | 005-0040 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 30, 2007 |
| Designated VLR | March 7, 2007 |
Speed the Plough is a farm in Amherst County, Virginia near the village of Elon, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm represents a succession of farm buildings from about 1799 to 1940. Its main house, a two-story brick structure, was built for William Dearing (1820–1862). Dearing held about fourteen slaves on the farm prior to the American Civil War. The property was sold out of the Dearing family about 1915 and the land was converted to an orchard by the Montrose Fruit Company, abandoning the house and most buildings. The land and house were later acquired by Rowland Lea (1872–1960). His partner, George Stevens (1868–1941), built a stone summer residence, the Rock Cottage, on the property. Several other buildings have been renovated for residential use and comprise a small village in what are now pasture lands.
The main house was built about 1850, a two-story brick single-pile Greek Revival building in the I-house pattern with a main block and a one-story ell to the rear. The interior follows a central-hall plan, with a living room to the west of the hall and a dining room to the east. The house was expanded in 1927 by the Lea family with a porch to the front and a one-story addition on the north with a sitting room-dining room and a kitchen.
The Rock Cottage was built by local builder Samuel Belk about 1933 at some distance from the main house. George Stevens engaged an architect from New York to design the house as an English hunting lodge on the site of the farm's old kitchen. The 1-1/2-story house is built in Tudor Revival style in stone. The L-shaped house is built around a central chimney. The main room is a "great hall" that functions as a living and dining room, with half-timbered interior walls and exposed roof beams. The room is furnished with bookshelves, one of which opens to reveal a hidden spiral iron stair to the basement. A kitchen is adjacent. The stair hall has stairs to the upper level and the basement. A master bedroom suite lies beyond the stair hall on the main level. There are two bedrooms and two baths on the upper levels. The basement features a large room with a fireplace under the great hall suitable for dancing, while other rooms were used for entertainment. A matching garage is nearby, with space for three cars with a basement beneath. An apartment is attached. The basement was to be used as a workroom and includes a fireplace. The apartment comprises two rooms with a bathroom. A basement, originally used to store wood for heating, has been converted to additional living space. The entire complex is surrounded by a dry-laid stone wall.
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