Frog Level Historic District

Frog Level is a low-lying commercial area in Waynesville, North Carolina, downhill from Main Street and centered on Richland Creek and the railroad tracks. Development began after the train arrived in 1884, and the area took its name from its tendency to flood. The district covers about five acres and holds sixteen contributing buildings and one contributing bridge, mostly one- and two-story brick or frame structures from the first half of the twentieth century. Businesses here were closely tied to the railroad, serving as warehouses and wholesale centers, and livery operators carried arriving visitors up the hill to inns and boarding houses. Notable buildings include a small Queen Anne cottage, an early frame garage, two Romanesque-influenced brick stores, and a 1936 National Guard armory built during the Works Progress Administration era. The district was recognized for its architecture and for its role in the town's commercial growth between about 1900 and 1949, when passenger rail service ended.