{"nrhp_refnum":"73001298","name":"Quaker Meadows","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W of Morganton off NC 181","address_restricted":false,"city":"Morganton","county":"Burke County","state":"NC","lat":35.75734123700005,"lon":-81.72056892699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-10-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Quaker Meadows is a four-bay, two-story brick plantation house overlooking the Catawba River flood plain near Morganton in Burke County, North Carolina. It was built in 1812 by Charles McDowell, son of the Revolutionary War figure Charles McDowell.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with the Revolutionary War leader Charles McDowell and the McDowell family's influence on early regional politics. It is also described as an especially well-executed example of the great brick plantation houses of the Catawba River Valley, distinguished by its unusual parlor wainscot and mantel. Zebulon B. Vance married Harriet N. Espy in the house.","narrative":"Built in 1812 by Charles McDowell near Morganton in Burke County, North Carolina, Quaker Meadows is a two-story brick house laid in Flemish bond, with exterior end chimneys and a modified Quaker floor plan. Its main parlor is notable for a wainscot of flat and vertical panels, the latter decorated with reeded ovals, and a matching mantel with Federal form and Greek Revival proportions. The house takes its name from a grassy bottom land on the Catawba River where a Quaker had traded with the Indians. It is tied to the McDowell family, whose members shaped early regional politics. Colonel Charles McDowell met militia leaders on the farm in 1780 to plan the campaign that led to the British defeat at King's Mountain. Zebulon B. Vance married Harriet N. Espy here. The house is considered a well-executed example of the large brick plantation houses of the Catawba River Valley.","period_of_significance":"1812","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal form with Greek Revival proportions in the mantel","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition marked fair and altered; the porch has been partly enclosed and the roof and cornice replaced; the house is currently owned by a subsidiary of Duke Power Company.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:41.999462-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/7193/47719307/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/73001298.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001298/565abdeda0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001298/565abdeda0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Frances Benjamin Johnston","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quaker_Meadows,_Morganton_vicinity_(Burke_County,_North_Carolina).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Frances Benjamin Johnston</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quaker_Meadows,_Morganton_vicinity_(Burke_County,_North_Carolina).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719307","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker_Meadows","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18157072"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/burke-county/quaker-meadows-73001298/"}