Built 1843 VLR # 009-0024 Opened 1843 Added to NRHP 16 February 2001 | NRHP Reference # 01000146 Designated VLR December 6, 2000 Area 6 ha | |
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Location Big Island Rd., near Bedford, Virginia Architectural styles Neoclassical architecture, Greek Revival architecture | ||
Otterburn is a Palladian-influenced Greek Revival plantation house near Bedford in Bedford County, Virginia. The house was built in 1828 for Benjamin A. and Sally Camm McDonald, but burned in 1841 and was reconstructed by 1843. At this time the final form of the house was created with the introduction of a loggia, cross-gable roof and Greek Revival detailing. The house was the seat of a 1,651-acre (668 ha) estate by 1825, with a mill, sawmill, and dependent structures.
After McDonald's death in 1871 the property passed through several owners until 1950, when the house became the Hines Memorial Pythian Home, an orphanage operated by the Knights of Pythias. A detached dormitory was added at this time. The orphanage ceased operations in the early 1960s, but operated for two years in the late 1960s as the Otterburn Academy, a private school formed as a response to desegregation. In later years the property was operated as a rest home for the elderly. The house is being restored.