{"nrhp_refnum":"88001051","name":"Willis, Henry, House","other_names":["Ehle House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SR 1164","address_restricted":false,"city":"Penland","county":"Mitchell County","state":"NC","lat":35.93868848750006,"lon":-82.12960156725708,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-07-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A double-pen log farmhouse on SR 1164 near Penland in Mitchell County, North Carolina, begun about 1880 as a single chestnut-log cabin and enlarged about 1890 with a second log pen, then with later additions.","why_significant":"The house was identified in a 1985 county survey as one of the three most recently built traditional log homesteads in Mitchell County, built between 1870 and 1890. It shows how traditional log construction survived in isolated mountain coves in the late nineteenth century. Its growth from a single-pen cabin to a sprawling farmhouse follows a typical regional pattern, and the double-pen main block keeps its architectural integrity.","narrative":"Near Penland in Mitchell County, North Carolina, this log farmhouse began about 1880 as a single-pen cabin of chestnut logs with half-dovetail notching and mud chinking. About 1890 a second log room was added, creating a double-pen house with a full-width porch. A log kitchen ell followed after 1900, and more rooms were added after 1930 and in the 1980s. Henry G. Willis and his wife Adeline lived here, and Henry bought the surrounding land in 1898. Adeline Willis was also a close friend of Lucy Morgan, founder of the Penland School of Handicrafts. A 1985 county survey ranked the house among the three most recently built traditional log homesteads in the county, all dating from 1870 to 1890. Rock foundations, original dirt floors beneath plank flooring, board-and-batten doors and unpeeled sapling rafters show the old building methods. The house illustrates how a mountain dwelling grew with its family.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1880 - early 20th C.","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Double-pen log house","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a single dwelling; the form describes it as a summer home maintained in the manner of the Willis family, with modern conveniences added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:48.953241-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/7213/47721398/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/88001051.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721398","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Willis_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19462275"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/mitchell-county/willis-henry-house-88001051/"}