{"nrhp_refnum":"86000568","name":"Matthews, Dr. James O., Office","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SR 1960 S of SR 1004","address_restricted":false,"city":"Taylors Bridge","county":"Sampson County","state":"NC","lat":34.86501262000007,"lon":-78.25292797699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-03-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Health/Medicine","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small two-room frame doctor's office built about 1900 for Dr. James Oscar Matthews near Taylors Bridge, Sampson County, North Carolina. It sits on the east side of SR 1960 in a corner of the old family farmstead.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the finest of the few surviving doctors' offices in Sampson County and the only remaining structure tied to one of the county's most distinguished physicians. Its two octagonal log porch columns with rounded flutes are cited as outstanding vernacular craftsmanship. The form also links the building to the practice of medicine in rural North Carolina at the turn of the century.","narrative":"This small frame building near Taylors Bridge served as the medical office of Dr. James Oscar Matthews (1868-1943) for more than four decades. Built about 1900, it measures only twelve feet by fifteen feet and holds two rooms joined by a connecting door. A pedimented front porch rests on two octagonal columns made from solid logs, each face carved with three rounded flutes. The nomination describes them as outstanding vernacular craftsmanship and links the building to the Greek Revival taste that lingered in rural Sampson County. Matthews studied medicine in Richmond, took over the practice of an older local doctor, and also served a term in the state senate in 1909. His father's large house nearby burned in the 1960s, leaving the office as the only structure tied to him. It is described as the finest surviving doctor's office in a county that long depended on its country physicians. The building is now vacant and used for storage.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1900 -- 1900","architect_builder":"Unknown (built by Dr. James Oscar Matthews, per the historical background)","architectural_style":"Vernacular, with Greek Revival influence in the porch columns","criteria":["A","C","D"],"status_note":"Vacant for a number of years and lately used for storage; owned and maintained by the builder's children. Side windows are boarded up.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.173805-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/7184/47718457/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/86000568.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718457","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._James_O._Matthews_Office","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19986984"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/sampson-county/matthews-dr-james-o-office-86000568/"}