{"nrhp_refnum":"02000060","name":"Red Banks Primitive Baptist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NC 1704, jct. with NC 1725","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bell Fork","county":"Pitt County","state":"NC","lat":35.57178562300004,"lon":-77.34081683999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-02-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small frame, gable-front Primitive Baptist church built in 1893 on about one acre at the corner of SR 1704 and SR 1725 near Bell Fork, Pitt County, North Carolina, with an adjoining small cemetery.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is locally significant under Criterion C as a well-executed example of a rural vernacular, gable-front church, a type common in eastern North Carolina. It remains almost as built in 1893, keeping its original benches, finishes and siding. Among Pitt County's four surviving Primitive Baptist churches, it retains the highest integrity, and its austere design reflects the faith of the congregation.","narrative":"Built in 1893 near Bell Fork in Pitt County, Red Banks Primitive Baptist Church is a plain frame meetinghouse about fifty by thirty feet. It has a gable front, two doors on the facade, weatherboard siding, a sealed-seam tin roof and a brick-pier foundation, with no towers, stained glass or decorative trim. Inside, a row of columns divides the room, and the original slat-back benches still face the pulpit and the \"amen\" corners. A small cemetery lies northwest of the church. The building was erected for a congregation formed in 1758 that sided with the Primitive Baptists in the split of 1827. It was the congregation's fourth house of worship. The church is valued as a well-preserved example of a rural vernacular form that once typified Primitive Baptist churches in eastern North Carolina. Alterations are limited to two bathrooms added in the mid-twentieth century, brick infill, new steps and later flooring. In 1999 the last members deeded the property to the Pitt County Historical Society.","period_of_significance":"1893","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Other: Late nineteenth-century gable-front church","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The last members deeded the church and land to the Pitt County Historical Society in 1999 to ensure preservation. The form lists present function as work in progress.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:52.788186-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/91/7217/47721791/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/02000060.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000060/7d9ad43a94-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000060/7d9ad43a94-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tradewinds","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Banks_Primitive_Baptist_Church.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Tradewinds</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Banks_Primitive_Baptist_Church.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721791","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Banks_Primitive_Baptist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7303704"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/pitt-county/red-banks-primitive-baptist-church-02000060/"}