{"nrhp_refnum":"73001364","name":"China Grove","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3 mi. SW of Oriental on SR 1302","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oriental","county":"Pamlico County","state":"NC","lat":35.080438214000026,"lon":-76.73965711699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-02-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"China Grove is an early nineteenth century Federal-style frame plantation house on a bluff above the Neuse River, about 3 miles southwest of Oriental in Pamlico County, North Carolina.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a fine Federal house with handsome overall design and well-executed, rather academic interior detail, including mantels and a stair reminiscent of New Bern work. Its isolated riverside setting gives a dramatic view of the Neuse. It also preserves the history of a plantation that passed through the Carraway and Sparrow families.","narrative":"Perched on a bluff above a broad stretch of the Neuse River southwest of Oriental, China Grove is a frame Federal-style plantation house built in the early nineteenth century. Its two-tier porch, set under the main gable roof, looks out over the river, and large brick chimneys laid in Flemish bond rise at each end. A brick-floored basement, nine-over-six sash windows and dentiled cornices complete the exterior. Inside, an off-center hall, a stair with wave-pattern brackets and Adamesque mantels recall the Federal houses of New Bern. The plantation took its name from a row of chinaberry trees. A 1803 patent went to Edward Carraway, and William Sparrow acquired the land in 1804; family tradition names Sparrow as the builder, for his bride in 1813. After many owners and a period of neglect, the house was extensively restored and is in excellent condition. It is listed for its architectural quality and setting.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Builder given as Edward Carraway in the original statement; a later correction credits William Smith Sparrow according to family tradition.","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored by the current owners from a very poor state of repair; described as in excellent condition, unaltered and on its original site, used as a private residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.426667-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/96/7216/47721696/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/73001364.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001364/b89de86d30-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001364/b89de86d30-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tradewinds","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China_Grove_Plantation_House.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:China_Grove_Plantation_House.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721696","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Grove_(Oriental,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14707899"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/pamlico-county/china-grove-73001364/"}