{"nrhp_refnum":"87001916","name":"Jonesboro Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by W. Concord, Bay, Jones, Lytle, & S. Anderson Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Morganton","county":"Burke County","state":"NC","lat":35.740526512500054,"lon":-81.68863524922654,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-11-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district of about 23.5 acres along sections of West Concord, Jones, South Anderson, Lytle and Bay Streets in Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina, with 41 buildings dating from ca. 1895 to ca. 1935.","why_significant":"The district is described as Morganton's oldest and only remaining intact historic black neighborhood, significant in Black History. It is also tied to prominent black citizens, especially Philo Harbison, a contractor and builder. Its rural character, including ravines, unpaved streets and vacant lots, sets it apart from the city's white neighborhoods.","narrative":"Jonesboro is a small residential neighborhood southeast of Morganton's central business district, laid out along West Concord, Jones, South Anderson, Lytle and Bay Streets. Its 41 buildings, built between about 1895 and 1935, are mostly one-and-one-half story frame cottages, shotgun houses and bungalows, with a few Victorian-influenced details. Two ravines bound the area, several streets wind or remain unpaved, and open lots serve as garden plots, giving it a rural feel close to downtown. It is documented as Morganton's oldest and only intact historic black neighborhood, possibly developed as early as 1880. The most substantial house belonged to Philo Harbison, born a slave in 1856, who became a master carpenter, contractor and builder and owned a planing mill. He built his own two-story home and several rental shotgun houses on Jones and South Anderson Streets. Most other houses were owner-built. The vacant lots are counted as one contributing site because they are part of the district's character.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1895-ca. 1935","architect_builder":"Unknown, Philo Harbison","architectural_style":"Vernacular Victorian cottages, bungalows and shotgun houses","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Mostly occupied private residences, with some vacant land; condition rated fair to good. 37 of 41 buildings are contributing, plus one contributing site made up of the vacant lots.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.165268-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/7173/47717364/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/87001916.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47717364","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonesboro_Historic_District_(Morganton,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18153742"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/burke-county/jonesboro-historic-district-87001916/"}