{"nrhp_refnum":"82003524","name":"Ferguson, J. T., Store","other_names":["Ferguson Store or Parker Electric Co."],"category":"building","location":{"address":"11 E. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilkesboro","county":"Wilkes County","state":"NC","lat":36.14827863100004,"lon":-81.15098310799993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-08-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick commercial building on Main Street at Broad Street in Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina, directly across from the Wilkes County Courthouse. Its highly decorative cast iron and pressed metal facade was manufactured by Mesker Brothers Front Builders of St. Louis in 1887.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the metal storefront is a lavish example of the late nineteenth century use of cast iron and pressed metal to create decorative facades. It is considered one of the most impressive structures on Main Street, and examples of this type are rare in this area of North Carolina. The metal front gives the building a more urban appearance than is typical for a town of Wilkesboro's size.","narrative":"Two-story brick commercial building on Main Street at Broad Street in Wilkesboro, across from the Wilkes County Courthouse. Its facade of cast iron and pressed metal was manufactured by Mesker Brothers Front Builders of St. Louis in 1887, and the building is a rare regional example of the catalogue-ordered storefronts popular in the late nineteenth century. The second story and cornice retain their original detailing, with paired Corinthian colonettes, anthemion brackets, and a projecting modillioned cornice bearing the name J. T. Ferguson. The first story has been altered, though corner pilasters survive and the recessed central entrance and large shop windows give a similar effect. Jesse T. Ferguson, a Civil War veteran and county sheriff, operated the store with his relatives and served as mayor of Wilkesboro in 1892 and 1893. The building was later a dry goods store, then a printing shop, and it retains an old printing press in its basement.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Mesker Bros. Front Builders, St. Louis","architectural_style":"Classical and late Victorian details on a cast iron and pressed metal facade","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Altered: the first-story facade has been modified, with the interior ground-floor shop windows and most iron pilasters removed or changed, while the second story and cornice remain intact. The building was later used as an electric company shop.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:41.350338-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/1/7187/47718701/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/82003524.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003524/0033ccfd2f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003524/0033ccfd2f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ceh2624","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WilksboroJTFerguson.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ceh2624</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:WilksboroJTFerguson.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"09000290","name":"Downtown Wilkesboro Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/downtown-wilkesboro-historic-district-09000290/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718701","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._T._Ferguson_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20709200"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/wilkes-county/ferguson-j-t-store-82003524/"}