Downtown in Blacksburg in Montgomery County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Five Chimneys

1852

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023

1. Five Chimneys Marker

Inscription. The Five Chimneys House was built in 1852, but the Queen Anne porch that is so distinctive was added 30 to 50 years later. The home underwent numerous renovations in the 1930s when A.G. Smith, a professor in the Virginia Tech Horticulture Department, reopened the fireplaces, enclosed the back porch, and built a series of beautiful outdoor garden spaces. The Town of Blacksburg acquired the property in 1987 after Smith's death, and it now serves as Blacksburg's Community Relations Office.

[Caption] A.G. Smith in the Five Chimneys Side Yard - Date Unknown News Messenger Collection, Montgomery Museum of Art & History

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1852.

Location. 37° 13.625′ N, 80° 24.785′ W. Marker is in Blacksburg, Virginia, in Montgomery County. It is in Downtown. Marker is on Draper Road Southwest north of Clay Street Southwest, on the left when traveling north. Marker is along a trail in Marcia's Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blacksburg VA 24060, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Blacksburg Motor Company Building 1924 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Armory

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); William Black (approx. ¼ mile away); The Cellar Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); William Frank Henderson (approx. 0.3 miles away); Student Diversity (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Early Years / Campus Over Time (approx. 0.3 miles away); John Houston Squires (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blacksburg.

Regarding Five Chimneys. Excerpts from the house's National Register of Historic Places nomination:

John R. Phillips, a Blacksburg merchant and physician, bought land from Alexander Black in the immediate vicinity. … Phillips was also a director of the new Blacksburg Savings Bank (1849) and of the Olin and Preston Institute (later Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, founded in 1854).

The first mention of the house is in a deed of April 14, 1853, when Phillips sold one and one-half acres to Charles A. Ronald and Nicholas M. Ronald for $1,000.…

N.M. Ronald was a merchant and banker, and his brother was Blacksburg's only lawyer during the period 1850-1870. … The house was known to local
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023

2. Five Chimneys Marker
historians (Conway) as the home of Sarah Kent, apparently the Ronalds' widowed sister, and it seems they bought the house for her use.

Also see . . . Phillips-Ronald House (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination and photographs submitted for the site, which was listed in 1989. (National Archives) (Submitted on July 13, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023

3. Five Chimneys

Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 191 times since then and 106 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 13, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.