{"nrhp_refnum":"84002330","name":"Smith, Francis Marion, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"204 Railroad Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gibsonville","county":"Guilford County","state":"NC","lat":36.10442222000006,"lon":-79.54086115699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half-story frame residence at 204 Railroad Avenue in Gibsonville, Guilford County, North Carolina, built in 1898 by Francis Marion Smith. It faces the Southern Railroad main line just east of the commercial district.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the most stylish and impressive surviving residence from Gibsonville's 1890-1910 growth period. It blends Queen Anne and Colonial Revival elements and is one of three houses tied to the Whitsett Institute. It is also associated with Smith, a local farmer, businessman and civic official, and his wife Lizzie Whitsett, a teacher at the school.","narrative":"Set on a broad lot facing the Southern Railroad in Gibsonville, this two-and-a-half-story frame house was built in 1898 by local farmer and businessman Francis Marion Smith. It combines Queen Anne and Colonial Revival design: a slate roof with gables projecting in four directions, tall corbeled chimneys, and a full-width porch with Tuscan columns, turned spindles and dentil molding. Inside, a center-hall plan features beaded wainscot, bullseye-block door surrounds and a spindle screen in the hall. A brick well house and smokehouse survive in the rear yard. The house is considered the finest surviving residence from the period when a cotton mill drove Gibsonville's growth. It is one of three houses linked to the Whitsett Institute, where Smith's wife, Lizzie Whitsett Smith, taught. Smith served as an alderman and bank director. After his death in 1910, the house stood vacant for a time and was later divided into rental apartments before restoration began.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1898","architect_builder":"Unknown (built by Francis Marion Smith in 1898)","architectural_style":"Queen Anne and Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence; in good condition and being restored by the current owner, with some alterations such as an enclosed rear porch.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:50.460073-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/7205/47720566/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/84002330.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002330/776ea18fcf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002330/776ea18fcf-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_Marion_Smith_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_Marion_Smith_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720566","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion_Smith_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20713825"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/guilford-county/smith-francis-marion-house-84002330/"}