Ben Dover, also known as Ben Dover Farm, is a historic home and plantation complex, recognized as a national historic district, located near Manakin-Sabot in Goochland County, Virginia, United States. The district encompasses 13 contributing buildings, 8 contributing sites, and 10 contributing structures.
Dover Hall | |
 Property entrance | |
   | |
| Location | 661 River Rd. W #36, Manakin-Sabot, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°36′24″N 77°44′39″W / 37.60667°N 77.74417°W |
| Area | 193.9 acres (78.5 ha) |
| Built | 1853 |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000311[1] |
| VLR No. | 037-0078 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 14, 2000 |
| Designated VLR | June 17, 1998[2] |
History
Site
The main dwelling was built in 1853 as a villa or the Big House of the plantation, in an Italianate style. When renovated in 1930, it was transformed when given a Colonial Revival facade to mask decades of deterioration and poor patchwork.
Contributing buildings, many of later construction, include tenant houses, a converted servants quarters (former slave quarters), a garage, a number of barns and sheds, a bowling alley, a smokehouse, and a stable. Contributing structures include three water towers, two well houses, animal feeders, a chicken coop, a silo and a swimming pool. The eight sites include stone foundations or sites of buildings no longer standing. Among these sites are two ruinous barns, a bridge ruin, an old road trace, and remains of landscape terracing. Together they represent the evolution of the Virginia plantation from the mid-19th century to the present day farm.[3]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[1]