{"nrhp_refnum":"85000379","name":"Melrose/Williamson House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off NC 62","address_restricted":false,"city":"Yanceyville Township","county":"Caswell County","state":"NC","lat":36.42776586900004,"lon":-79.29733898567103,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-02-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A plantation house near Yanceyville in Caswell County, North Carolina, made up of two two-story frame blocks: a Federal style section built about 1780 and a Greek Revival section added about 1840, joined by a breezeway that is now enclosed.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Melrose is one of Caswell County's best-preserved plantation houses and that each block is an important example of vernacular design from its period. It is associated with James Williamson and his son George Williamson, both prominent local politicians and planters. It also reflects Caswell County's antebellum tobacco-growing prosperity.","narrative":"Melrose is a plantation house set at the end of a long oak-lined drive off N.C. 62 near Yanceyville, in Caswell County. It consists of two frame blocks. The rear block, built around 1780 by James Williamson, has Federal detailing, a hall-and-parlor plan and Flemish bond chimneys. The front block, probably built around 1840 by his son George Williamson, has a center-hall plan and a Doric portico in the Greek Revival manner. A breezeway once joined them and was enclosed in the 1930s. The grounds hold about a dozen log and frame outbuildings and a family cemetery with at least forty-three slave graves. The property was listed for its architecture, for its link to the Williamsons, who held county offices, and for what it shows of Caswell County's antebellum tobacco economy. By 1850 George Williamson was among the county's largest landowners, its largest tobacco grower and its largest slaveholder. A mantel in the older block appeared in a 1941 study of early North Carolina architecture.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799, 1800-1899 (specific dates c. 1780, c. 1840)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal (c. 1780 rear block) and Greek Revival (c. 1840 front block); vernacular","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in excellent condition, used as a private residence and for agriculture; the grounds hold about a dozen outbuildings and a family cemetery.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.360882-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7194/47719442/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/85000379.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000379/fa84095042-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000379/fa84095042-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Frances Benjamin Johnston","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melrose,_Yanceyville_(Caswell_County,_North_Carolina).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Frances Benjamin Johnston</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melrose,_Yanceyville_(Caswell_County,_North_Carolina).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719442","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melrose/Williamson_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18154309"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/caswell-county/melrose-williamson-house-85000379/"}