Preserving a Legacy

The Linkous-Kipps House is a National and Virginia Registered Historic property and has deep roots in Blacksburg’s early history. In 1798, 250 acres were granted by the Preston family of Smithfield to Henry Linkous, a former Hessian soldier captured at the Battle of Trenton in December 1776 by General George Washington’s army. After being marched to Charlottesville, in 1778, Henry was indentured to Colonel William Preston and worked at Smithfield as the blacksmith.

Upon completing his 20-year indenture in 1798, Henry was awarded land between Prices Fork Road, Merrimac Road, and Stroubles Mill. That year, he began building the original two-story L-shaped log house near a natural spring.

In 1905, the house was expanded with a north wing and updated with clapboard siding and a steel roof. It remained in the Linkous and Kipps families for six generations, from 1799–2021. In July 2024, the Graham family began a historic restoration to preserve its legacy. The Graham family has restored the house and outbuildings to be safe and operational. We wish to share the property with the local Blacksburg community.

Civil War Connection

On May 11, 1864, two days after the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain, Bobby Linkous, a Confederate Colonel was wounded by Union soldiers in the stairway. There is a bullet hole in the transom glass and two embedded lead bullets that were discovered during 2024 restoration that still mark the incident. The Union Colonel was Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes, who later became the 19th President of the United States. Hayes sent Bobby’s surrendered revolver home to his wife. The revolver is now housed in the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Ohio.

Today, the Linkous-Kipps House is one of the best-preserved examples of early 19th-century log architecture in Virginia, offering a unique connection to America’s past.