{"nrhp_refnum":"82003511","name":"Ledbetter, James Dexter, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off US 74","address_restricted":false,"city":"Forest City","county":"Rutherford County","state":"NC","lat":35.353202306500066,"lon":-81.90138921482666,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-one-half story frame house in the Neoclassical and Colonial Revival styles, sited about three miles west of Forest City in Rutherford County, North Carolina, on a fifteen-acre landscaped lot with contemporary outbuildings. It was built in 1914.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a bold and inventive interpretation of Neoclassical and Colonial Revival design, and that it was the finest country house in Rutherford County in its day and remains the county's outstanding example of its type. Its association with James Dexter Ledbetter, a prominent Forest City businessman and bank president, is also cited. The property is said to possibly contain archaeological remains of a late eighteenth-century tavern.","narrative":"Built in 1914 about three miles west of Forest City, Rutherford County, this two-and-one-half story frame house combines Neoclassical and Colonial Revival elements into a dramatic composition. Its facade is defined by a two-story porch of continuous Tuscan columns, with the central bay doubled and capped by a deep pedimented gable with an oval window. A one-story porch wraps partway down each side, and a flat central roof section is bordered by a heavy balustrade. The double-pile plan opens into a ten-foot central hall with paneled wainscotting, a full entablature cornice, stained glass sidelights and transom, and a mirror framed by Corinthian columns. Original woodwork and mirrored mantels survive throughout. The house was built for James Dexter Ledbetter, a Forest City businessman who founded the National Bank of Forest City in 1923. It is regarded as the finest country house in the county in its day and remains its outstanding survivor of this type.","period_of_significance":"1900-1914","architect_builder":"James Andrew Baynard (builder/architect as listed in the form); family tradition credits Mr. Ledbetter with the design and local contractor Andy Baynard with construction","architectural_style":"Neoclassical and Colonial Revival","criteria":["B","C","D"],"status_note":"Little altered and in excellent repair; the form states it is unoccupied apart from visits by the owner's family.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:42.035996-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/7221/47722156/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/82003511.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003511/a9fcb568f1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003511/a9fcb568f1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Upstateherd","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Ledbetter_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Upstateherd</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:James_Ledbetter_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722156","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dexter_Ledbetter_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19875046"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/rutherford-county/ledbetter-james-dexter-house-82003511/"}