{"nrhp_refnum":"96000925","name":"First Presbyterian Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"471 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Highlands","county":"Macon County","state":"NC","lat":35.051746725000044,"lon":-83.19648583299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-08-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small, one-story frame Presbyterian church on a raised basement on the southwest corner of Main and Fifth streets in downtown Highlands, Macon County, North Carolina. It was built in 1885 and is the oldest church building in Highlands.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant for social history as the first church built in the resort town of Highlands, founded in the 1870s to offer a religious presence for seasonal visitors. It also argues the building is significant as a carpenter-built example of Italianate design shaped by picturesque ideas, with a high degree of architectural integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1885 on a knoll at the corner of Main and Fifth streets in Highlands, North Carolina, this small frame church rises on a raised basement of stone piers. Local master carpenter Marion Wright built it on land donated in 1883, with funds given by Margaretta Ravenel and Clarissa Burt in memory of their sister. The church has a steep gable roof, a square belfry with bracketed eaves, and a weatherboarded exterior with a segmentally arched entrance. Its interior is sheathed in horizontal beaded boards, and the sanctuary retains its box-style pews. The church was the first built in Highlands, a resort town founded in the 1870s, and it reflects the founders' wish for a religious presence in the community. The building is recognized for its Italianate detailing, its craftsmanship, and its integrity, and it has changed little on the exterior since construction.","period_of_significance":"1885-1946","architect_builder":"Wright, Marion (builder); Parker, Thomas F. (designer)","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The document states that all buildings were in good shape in the 1990s and that the congregation remains active.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:42.172708-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/44/7211/47721144/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/96000925.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000925/280c56e047-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000925/280c56e047-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Brian Williams (bw7495)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Presbyterian_Church,_471_Main_St,_Highlands,_NC_-_01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Brian Williams (bw7495)</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:First_Presbyterian_Church,_471_Main_St,_Highlands,_NC_-_01.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721144","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Presbyterian_Church_(Highlands,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5453587"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/macon-county/first-presbyterian-church-96000925/"}