{"nrhp_refnum":"83003968","name":"Lee, Gen. William C., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"209 W. Divine St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dunn","county":"Harnett County","state":"NC","lat":35.30750593000005,"lon":-78.61379417599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-11-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Neo-Classical Revival house at 209 West Divine Street in Dunn, Harnett County, North Carolina, built about 1915 for local businessman Jefferson Davis Barnes.","why_significant":"The house is tied to Major General William C. Lee, a Dunn native known as the father of America's airborne army, who lived there for thirteen years. It is also associated with J. D. Barnes, a prominent local businessman. It is a locally significant brick example of Neo-Classical Revival residential architecture in small North Carolina towns.","narrative":"Set on a half-acre corner lot about four blocks from downtown Dunn, this roughly 4,500-square-foot brick house was built around 1915 in the Neo-Classical Revival style. It has a two-story main block, one-story rear wings, a full-facade porch with Tuscan columns, dentil cornices, pedimented gables and a central hall with a staircase. The house was built for Jefferson Davis Barnes, who founded Dunn Oil Mills in 1902 and co-founded the Barnes & Halliday hardware company. In 1935 it became the home of William C. Lee, a Dunn native who pioneered American paratroop and glider forces and is remembered as the father of America's airborne army. Lee wrote airborne doctrine and devised tactical plans for the D-Day invasion, though a heart ailment forced him home before it began. He died in 1948. The house is recognized for its association with both men and as a local example of brick Neo-Classical Revival design. It now holds apartments and Chamber of Commerce offices, with a museum planned.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date ca. 1915)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied: contains two private apartments and offices of the Dunn Area Chamber of Commerce; plans call for restoration and a museum honoring General Lee.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:50.05374-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7207/47720742/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/83003968.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003968/f160f26925-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003968/f160f26925-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gen._William_C._Lee_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gen._William_C._Lee_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720742","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen._William_C._Lee_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19986760"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/harnett-county/lee-gen-william-c-house-83003968/"}