{"nrhp_refnum":"83003814","name":"Falcon Tabernacle","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"West St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Falcon","county":"Cumberland County","state":"NC","lat":35.19390896200008,"lon":-78.64765214299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-10-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story octagonal frame church in Falcon, Cumberland County, North Carolina, built in 1898 by Julius A. Culbreth to resemble a revival tent. It was moved a short distance to its present site in the early 1970s.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a rare octagon-form building in North Carolina and the only known octagonal church. It is also described as the birthplace of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, formed by the January 1911 merger of the Fire Baptized Holiness Association and the Holiness Church. It is linked to Culbreth, who also founded the Holiness School and the Falcon Children's Home.","narrative":"Built in 1898 by local religious leader Julius A. Culbreth, this small octagonal church in Falcon, North Carolina, was designed to look like a tent, recalling the revival meetings that had moved him spiritually. Its board-and-batten walls, shake roof, brick piers and six-over-six windows give it a simple, vernacular character, and it is described as the only known octagonal church in the state. The building served as a community prayer house, then hosted Holiness congregations. In January 1911 the Fire Baptized Holiness Association and the Holiness Church merged, forming the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and the tabernacle is regarded as that denomination's birthplace. Over the years it also held school classes, storage, and Sunday school, and in 1952 it was enclosed inside a larger brick church. In the early 1970s it was removed and relocated to a nearby lot, then rededicated in 1975. It remains a reminder of early Holiness influence in the area.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1898)","architect_builder":"Julius A. Culbreth","architectural_style":"Late Victorian influence; vernacular octagon form","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in excellent condition; currently used for meetings, with plans for future use as a repository of church archives. Moved in the early 1970s and rededicated in 1975.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:51.131627-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/36/7198/47719836/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/83003814.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003814/b237ca25df-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003814/b237ca25df-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"gerrydincher","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eight_Sided_Tabernacle_in_Falcon,_NC_pic_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">gerrydincher</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eight_Sided_Tabernacle_in_Falcon,_NC_pic_2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719836","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_Tabernacle","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5431767"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/cumberland-county/falcon-tabernacle-83003814/"}