{"nrhp_refnum":"13000247","name":"Salem Methodist Church","other_names":["Cullasaja Community Club"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1201 River Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Franklin","county":"Macon County","state":"NC","lat":35.148864314000036,"lon":-83.30731664599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2013-05-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story heavy timber frame Methodist church in a rural area northeast of Oxford, Granville County, North Carolina, with an attached 1962 concrete block education and fellowship wing and an adjoining contributing cemetery to the west.","why_significant":"The church's Greek Revival, Italianate and Gothic Revival elements are regarded as handsome and unusual, and the design is reminiscent of or influenced by regional architect Jacob W. Holt. It is one of only three pre-Civil War church buildings raised in the county and one of its oldest and most ornate plantation-era non-residential buildings. Its intact brackets, doors and interior are cited as the basis for its significance despite later aluminum siding.","narrative":"Built in 1860-61 in a rural area northeast of Oxford, Salem Methodist Church is a one-story heavy timber frame building that combines Greek Revival, Italianate and Gothic Revival features. Its gable front has a triangular pediment, acorn-tipped brackets and three entries with inset Gothic arches. Inside, the original boxed pews, a central barrel-vaulted ceiling of stained beaded boards and fluted door surrounds remain largely intact. The design is regarded as reminiscent of the work of regional architect Jacob W. Holt, whose motifs appear throughout the building. The church was constructed by John Short, an enslaved carpenter belonging to Martha B. Taylor, with Col. Richard P. Taylor and James Crews overseeing the work. It is one of only three pre-Civil War church buildings in the county and one of its most ornate plantation-era non-residential buildings. Its architectural value rests on this rare combination of styles and surviving interior finish, despite exterior siding added in the early 1980s.","period_of_significance":"1860-1861","architect_builder":"Jacob W. Holt (architect, designed or strongly influenced); John Short (slave carpenter, builder)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival; Italianate; Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Well maintained by the congregation; aluminum siding added early 1980s, colored glass added to windows, education wing built 1962.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:41.896511-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/7178/47717857/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/88001259.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":null,"wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_Methodist_Church_(Franklin,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18157649"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/macon-county/salem-methodist-church-13000247/"}