{"nrhp_refnum":"94000022","name":"McCauley-Watson House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NC 1762 (Blanchard Rd.) SW side, 1.5 mi. NW of jct. with NC 62","address_restricted":false,"city":"Union Ridge","county":"Alamance County","state":"NC","lat":36.18984140800006,"lon":-79.39648731099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-02-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick antebellum vernacular Greek Revival farmhouse on Owens Creek in the Union Ridge area of northern Alamance County, North Carolina, with a rear one-story kitchen ell and a cluster of farm outbuildings. It is believed to date from about 1850 and was built for physician John W. McCauley.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a remarkably intact rural example of the Greek Revival form, with its original interior, plan and detailing largely preserved. It is one of a small group of substantial brick antebellum houses in Alamance County built by prominent citizens, and it is linked to the McCauley and Watson families, including their role in early educational institutions such as Elon College.","narrative":"Built about 1850 as a two-story, double-pile brick farmhouse on a knoll above the bottom lands of Owens Creek, the house follows the center-hall plan and simple post-and-lintel Greek Revival detailing common to the period. Its American-bond brick walls, six-over-six wooden sash windows and segmental-arched openings are largely original, and the interior retains plaster walls, pine floors and eight original fireplace mantels, with one south bedroom mantel of more elaborate design. Brick houses of this type were uncommon in the Piedmont before the 1830s and were built mainly by well-to-do owners, and only a handful survive in Alamance County. The house was built by Dr. John W. McCauley, a physician who practiced in the county for fifty years. Later ownership passed to his son-in-law, Dr. George S. Watson, whose family was active in founding Elon College. The house is valued for its architecture and for its connection to these local families.","period_of_significance":"Ca. 1850","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"MID 19TH CENTURY: Greek Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Vacant, with the house described as virtually as constructed, and outbuildings in substantial disrepair.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:42.238034-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/7188/47718840/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/94000022.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718840","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCauley-Watson_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17560856"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/alamance-county/mccauley-watson-house-94000022/"}