Hume is located in northwestern Fauquier County at the intersection of Route 688, a main north-south connector in the western part of the county, and Route 635.
Today, Hume is home to The Inn at Vineyards Crossing, as well as several wineries & vineyards.
From the village there are views across farmland to Big Cobbler and Buck Mountains. This land was once part of Thomas Lord Fairfax’s Leeds Manor and was originally known as “Barbee’s Crossroads.”
The historic area of Hume has approximately twenty-six historic resources. The northern edge of the historic area is marked by the Hume Baptist Church which is an example of the early-20th century Gothic Revival style. The area further south features a late 19th century I-house, an American Foursquare, and a vernacular cross- gable dwelling. Just before the intersection, along the east side of Route 688 is an L-shape commercial/residential building with a side one-story wing called Captain Marshall’s Store. This store features a porte cochere added to accommodate the automobile. Joseph Barbee’s Tavern, believed to have been constructed around 1787, stands at the NW corner of the intersection.
The historic area extends to east along Route 635 to include a wide array of structures dating from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, inclusive of a Gothic-Revival style church which is now a residence and an American Foursquare.
South of the intersection are a greater number of historic properties along both sides of Route 688. Some of the more distinctive buildings include the 1890s store clad in board and batten, an early-20th century store, and a mid-19th century log and frame dwelling with outbuildings. The southern end of the historic area is marked by a two-story vernacular I-house that sits back off the road. Several of the resources in this vicinity of the district sit above the grade of the road and have stone retaining walls.
This collection of buildings seems to indicate that the era of the greatest growth in Hume occurred during the Reconstruction era. There are at least five stores from that time.
The village is still intact and offers a good representation of what was once a thriving mid-19th century crossroads and trading center.