Geoffrey and Nancy LaLand spent years admiring a small, empty, weather-worn house on land adjacent to their New Point home, and on Nov. 3, it finally became theirs.
They named it “Little House on the Creek,” and they’re eagerly beginning to clean it up and restore it to reflect an early 19th-century origin. They’re inviting the Facebook community to watch the progress right along with them.
Nancy LaLand watches her step as she goes from a breezeway to a room that may have been a kitchen in the newer, c. 1900, addition to “The Little House on the Creek,” according to architectural historian Carl Lounsbury.
“We’ve lived next door for 17 years, and we dreamed of someday owning it, but we never thought it would happen,” said Nancy LaLand. “It’s a dream come true for us.”
Geoffrey LaLand said he and the previous owner, who lives in Richmond, had “made a gentleman’s agreement” a couple of years ago regarding the sale of the house, and it finally came to fruition. Now the LaLands are trusting their contractor, Dorothy Ness, and her crew at Beaverdam Construction and Renovation (formerly Steve’s Handyman Services) to bring the property back to life.
“My ultimate dream is to have it restored as close as possible to the 19th century and show it to school groups,” said LaLand.
Ness said the house is structurally very sound, weathering three feet of water during Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and probably a similar amount during the storm of 1933. She said she began her work by “starting from the top” to ensure that the roof continues to be leak-free. She used an acid wash on the metal surface, then primed it and applied two coats of paint.
A new coat of paint on the exterior walls is in the future, as well, but first, bad original wood siding is being replaced with wood from an old barn slated for demolition. Ness said the entire building was more than likely constructed of trees that were cut down on-site. Those trees were probably native cedar, live oak, and pine, she said.
Inside, the crew has removed and disposed of insulation that was a modern addition, and they’ve cleared out a collection of furniture so interior work can begin, especially on the floors.
Geoffrey LaLand looks over the living area of “The Little House on the Creek.” This is the oldest part of the house, built between 1849 and 1850, according to architectural historian Carl Lounsbury.
The house was originally two separate buildings connected by a narrow breezeway, said Ness. At some point, a previous owner expanded the breezeway and enclosed it to create space for a bathroom, but the LaLands said they intend to remove all of that newer construction and return the house to its original footprint. A former owner also added windows and doors and an HVAC system, said Geoffrey LaLand, but at some point, thieves went on the property and stole the wiring and other things.
“Now we’re trying to get it back to natural,” he said.
Architectural historian Carl Lounsbury, in response to a request from Becky Barnhardt, Mathews Memorial Library’s head of genealogy and family research services, said the house is the Jarvis House, built between 1849 and 1850 by Capt. John Haynes Jarvis on land he received from his father, Francis Jarvis. The original house was very small, with a breezeway and an extension added c. 1900 or later. Lounsbury described the structure as having “hewn and pit sawn studs, plates, and rafters,” with “two enclosed winder staircases.” What plaster remains is secured with split lath, he said, which was “a common construction technique to the period.” He said upgrades were made to the windows at the beginning of the 20th century.
Barnhardt’s research shows that Jarvis was originally from Newport News and lived in Yorktown while piloting the Old Dominion ships to West Point. A Richmond Times Dispatch article dated Aug. 10, 1902 described him as a “jovial old sea dog” who was “known by almost every man who sails these waters.”
“He bears the enviable reputation of being the finest compounder of high-grade fish stories and the most accomplished maritime prevaricator of any Neptune’s children of Eastern Virginia,” continued the article. “He hails from Mathews County, which should be proud of the versatility.”
Jarvis was married to Susan Jane Turner, and they had nine children, four of whom survived to adulthood,” said Barnhardt.
The house sits close to the headwaters of Dyers Creek on a long, narrow 2.5-acre parcel, with a small inlet that comes up one side. It’s not much more than a mile down the creek to the open expanse of the Chesapeake Bay.
To watch the progress on The Little House on the Creek, visit www.facebook.com/groups/2880188032217320.
The attic space in the older section of “The Little House on the Creek.” At right, the plaster that remains is cracked, with large patches missing. This view is looking down from the landing at the top of the stairs of the 1.5 story structure.