Ragsdale Farm
Why it's listed
Ragsdale Farm is a country estate of about thirty-nine acres in Jamestown, North Carolina, set between East Main Street and the Southern Railway tracks. Joseph Sinclair Ragsdale bought the first part of the farm in 1866, and later generations of his family turned it from a working farm into a prosperous country estate. The main house grew in stages, with an 1880 enlargement and a 1900 remodeling that gave it its Colonial Revival character, followed by Georgian interior work in 1948. Around it are tenant houses, a horse barn, a cow barn, coops, a corncrib and other outbuildings, along with formal gardens and open pastures. The family shaped local industry through leadership of the Oakdale Cotton Mill. Virginia Ragsdale earned a doctorate in mathematics from Bryn Mawr in 1903 and later headed the mathematics department at North Carolina College for Women. The property was recognized for its connections to industry, education, agriculture and architecture between 1866 and 1941.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1866-1941 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Colonial Revival; Other: Traditional Agricultural |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Agriculture, Education, Architecture |
| Acreage | 39 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Ragsdale Farm (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.