{"nrhp_refnum":"83001840","name":"Moore, John Covington, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SR 1307","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tusquitee","county":"Clay County","state":"NC","lat":35.08574856400003,"lon":-83.77183733299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-07-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A weatherboarded story-and-loft log house with a center-hall plan, built around 1838 in the Tusquitee area of Clay County, North Carolina, by homesteader John Covington Moore.","why_significant":"The house is one of the few surviving houses associated with the exploration and settlement of the North Carolina mountains. It was the home of John C. Moore, generally recognized as Clay County's first white settler and one of three commissioners who laid off the county in 1861. It is also a rare, relatively unaltered example of mid-nineteenth century western North Carolina vernacular architecture.","narrative":"Built around 1838, shortly after the removal of the Cherokee from the region, this log house in the Tusquitee area of Clay County stands on a small rise facing south across the Tusquitee Creek valley. It is a story-and-loft structure on fieldstone piers with a center-hall plan, a semi-engaged front porch and rear shed rooms added around 1930. The log walls were weatherboarded, with records dating a covering to 1903. A west chimney with a stuccoed stone base painted to imitate coursed ashlar and a brick shaft is a notable feature. Inside, the hall is sheathed in vertical poplar boards, and the parlor has a post-and-lintel mantel with Federal-style accents. John Covington Moore, who homesteaded among the Cherokee around 1833, farmed about 300 acres, held interests in gold mines and served as one of three commissioners who laid off Clay County in 1861. The house survives relatively intact and is valued for its settlement history and vernacular detailing.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Vernacular log house (mid-nineteenth century western North Carolina vernacular)","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied private residence; the house has no indoor plumbing and has been altered by rear shed rooms, a replaced east chimney and later weatherboarding.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.157531-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/36/7196/47719636/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/83001840.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719636","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Covington_Moore_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17022663"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/clay-county/moore-john-covington-house-83001840/"}