A barn at the historic 18th century Nuckols Farm in Short Pump burnt to the ground Tuesday evening. The building, adjacent to the Gayton Station and Graham Meadows subdivisions off Gayton Road, caught fire just before 6:00 p.m. When we arrived around 6:10 p.m. the structure was fully involved. Smoke from the blaze could be seen for several miles. The barn sat next to the recently renovated Nuckols Farmhouse, which dates back to 1750. The barn itself was built sometime in the early 1800s according to the Henrico County Historical Society’s website.
The adjacent Nuckols Farmhouse, the oldest known structure still standing in Henrico County, was purchased by the County of Henrico a few years back after a developer planned to demolish the house and build town homes. Neighbors who live in both subdivisions that sandwich the house fought to save it. The property is planned for use as a passive park.
Firefighters on scene seemed suspicious as to the cause of the fire, questioning everyone on scene. The barn was reportedly filled with hay and hence burned quickly. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Henrico Fire officials.
Note: More photos, including a photo of the barn before the blaze, can be seen below. For more photos in high resolution, visit our Flickr page.
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