{"nrhp_refnum":"73001369","name":"Franklin, Bernard, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NW of Dobson on SR 1331","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dobson","county":"Surry County","state":"NC","lat":36.45679243600006,"lon":-80.82007605499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, five-bay frame house on a stone foundation, built in 1799 on a knoll above the Fisher River bottom on S.R. 1331 near Dobson, Surry County, North Carolina. It was built for Bernard Franklin.","why_significant":"The house is described as a handsome Georgian-Federal dwelling that keeps a remarkable amount of original fabric, including paneling, marbleizing and wood graining, and as by far the most ambitious early house in Surry County. It is also the only surviving reminder of Jesse Franklin, the builder's son, a U.S. senator and twentieth governor of North Carolina.","narrative":"Built in 1799 for Bernard Franklin, this two-story frame house sits on a slight knoll facing south over the Fisher River bottom near Dobson. Five bays wide on a stone foundation, it has a shed porch with chamfered posts, nine-over-nine sash windows, and brick double-shoulder chimneys laid in Flemish bond. Its plan follows a Quaker pattern with a large main room and two small rooms. Inside, a raised-panel wainscot, a Federal stair and mantels blending Georgian and Federal styles survive, many finished with marbleizing and wood graining. The house is considered the most ambitious early dwelling in Surry County. It is also linked to Jesse Franklin, Bernard's son, who chose the land and later served in Congress, the U.S. Senate and as North Carolina's twentieth governor. His own house burned, leaving this one as the visible reminder of him. The Surry County Historical Society acquired it in 1972 and plans restoration.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Bernard Franklin (builder/owner)","architectural_style":"Georgian-Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in fair condition, altered, on its original site, and unoccupied. The Surry County Historical Society bought it in 1972, and restoration is planned.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.904355-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/24/7223/47722324/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/73001369.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001369/05331f2843-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001369/05331f2843-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Bonitalh","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwards_Franklin_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bonitalh</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwards_Franklin_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722324","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards%E2%80%93Franklin_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5346083"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/surry-county/franklin-bernard-house-73001369/"}