{"nrhp_refnum":"91000082","name":"Steele Creek Presbyterian Church and Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"7407 Steele Creek Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Charlotte","county":"Mecklenburg County","state":"NC","lat":35.18404270100007,"lon":-80.9561655445384,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-02-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Presbyterian church, cemetery and associated grounds on a roughly 17-acre tract overlooking Steele Creek Road southwest of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The sanctuary, completed in 1889, is a brick Gothic Revival church; the cemetery to its northwest holds headstones dating from 1763.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church and cemetery are outstanding symbols of Scotch-Irish influence in Mecklenburg County. The 1889 sanctuary is significant for its Gothic Revival design, described as the finest church architecture in rural Mecklenburg when built. The cemetery is significant for its early headstones, including work by the Bigham family of carvers, and for the church's role in early county settlement.","narrative":"Brick Gothic Revival church and historic cemetery on a tree-shaded rise above Steele Creek Road, southwest of Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The sanctuary was completed in 1889 after the congregation's previous brick-less church burned in January 1888; members made the bricks, and H. J. Norris served as contractor. Its pointed-arched windows, crenellated entry towers and steep parapeted gable express the style, and it was regarded as the finest church architecture in rural Mecklenburg when built. The adjoining cemetery holds about 1,700 headstones dating from 1763, including roughly 200 from before about 1820. Many were carved by the Bigham family, whose workshop operated nearby, and the designs include the Scottish thistle, tree of life and family coats of arms. The church, founded by Scotch-Irish settlers, was one of the first seven congregations established in the county, which underlies its significance in early settlement history.","period_of_significance":"1763-ca. 1820, 1889","architect_builder":"H. J. Norris (contractor)","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["C","A"],"status_note":"The church is in use; the nomination notes the sanctuary survives largely intact and the three noncontributing buildings are in good repair and serve their original functions.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:42.384671-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7182/47718255/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/91000082.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000082/0f07d5a16f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000082/0f07d5a16f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Bagatar","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steele_Creek_Presbyterian.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bagatar</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steele_Creek_Presbyterian.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718255","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steele_Creek_Presbyterian_Church_and_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7605787"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/mecklenburg-county/steele-creek-presbyterian-church-and-cemetery-91000082/"}