{"nrhp_refnum":"77000989","name":"Purdie House and Purdie Methodist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2.8 mi. E of Tar Heel","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tar Heel","county":"Bladen County","state":"NC","lat":34.71393329900005,"lon":-78.74396348665113,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal-style brick plantation house and a Greek Revival frame Methodist chapel on opposite sides of N.C. 87 near Tar Heel, Bladen County, North Carolina. The house was built between 1803 and 1809 and the church about 1845, both for the Purdie family.","why_significant":"The Purdie family owned the plantation from 1796 to 1946. The house is described as one of the two finest antebellum plantation houses in Bladen County, with double galleries facing land and water, an original main stair on the rear porch, and the earliest known Federal finish in the county. The chapel replaced an earlier one where Bishop Francis Asbury preached in 1803 and 1811.","narrative":"Purdie House and Purdie Methodist Church face each other across N.C. 87 near Tar Heel, in Bladen County. The two-story brick house, set on a bluff above the Cape Fear River, was built between 1803 and 1809 for planter James S. Purdie. Its Federal design includes double galleries on the land and water sides, Flemish bond brickwork, and an original stair on the rear porch. The nomination calls it one of the two finest antebellum plantation houses in the county and notes its Federal finish as the earliest known there. Across the road, a modest temple-form Greek Revival frame chapel was probably built around 1845 for Anna Maria Purdie. It replaced an earlier chapel where Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury preached in 1803 and 1811. The Purdie family held the plantation from 1796 until 1946. The church building remains owned by its congregation, and services are still held there.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal (house); Greek Revival (church)","criteria":[],"status_note":"House described as recently restored and in good condition, occupied as a residence; the church is owned by its congregation and still holds services.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.926524-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/7190/47719077/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/77000989.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719077","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdie_House_and_Purdie_Methodist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7260960"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/bladen-county/purdie-house-and-purdie-methodist-church-77000989/"}