{"nrhp_refnum":"74001372","name":"Blackberry Hill","other_names":["Mills House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E of Tryon on SR 1516","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tryon","county":"Polk County","state":"NC","lat":35.20566488500003,"lon":-82.20928669499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Blackberry Hill, also called the Mills House, is a five-bay, two-story frame Federal-era house with one-story wings, located east of Tryon in Polk County, North Carolina. It was moved to its present hilltop site in the Hunting Country section after 1936.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of a small group of Federal-era dwellings in Polk County and retains most of its original fabric despite being moved. Its three mantels show vigorous, folk-art-like vernacular ornament, among the most interesting versions of the Adamesque style in the state. It also has local historical importance through its link to the Mills family and Colonel Ambrose Mills, who was involved in the founding of Polk County.","narrative":"Blackberry Hill, also known as the Mills House, is a two-story, five-bay frame house with end chimneys and one-story wings, sited on a prominence with a sweeping mountain view east of Tryon in Polk County, North Carolina. Its center-hall plan, beaded horizontal sheathing, enclosed stair and molded cornices reflect the Federal style. The most striking features are three carved mantels whose bold, eccentric ornament, including reeded lozenges, gouged fans and heavy cable molding, gives them a folk-art quality. The house is said to have been built on land once held by Colonel Ambrose Mills, a Loyalist hanged in 1780, and was probably first owned by a descendant of the same name. The builder is unknown. In 1936 the house was sold separately from the land and later moved to Tryon's Hunting Country section. Despite the move and later alterations, it keeps much of its original fabric and is valued for its mantels and its local historical associations.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal / Adamesque vernacular","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is stated as excellent; the house is altered and was moved. It is 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 02:58:56.050553-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/7218/47721858/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/74001372.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721858","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackberry_Hill_(Tryon,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19720548"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/polk-county/blackberry-hill-74001372/"}