Spoon, A. L., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1834, this two-story log house in southwest Alamance County follows a hall-and-parlor plan, with oak logs joined by V-notching. A one-story timber-frame wing, probably a kitchen, was added around 1850. Front elevations keep flush-board sheathing, while the sides and rear were reclad in 1935. Inside, original features survive, including a paneled mantelpiece, a plank partition wall with chair rail, and plank floors. The house never received plumbing and had only rudimentary electricity, so little historic fabric was disturbed. Nearby stands a mid-nineteenth century double-crib log barn with a center passage, plus two twentieth-century outbuildings. The farm once covered about 400 acres and was held by the Spoon family, who settled the area in the late eighteenth century. Alfred L. Spoon, born in 1849, is the person for whom the house is named. Listed for its architecture, the property is valued as a largely unaltered example of local log construction. The house has stood vacant since 1987.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant under Criterion C as a largely unaltered example of a two-story hall-and-parlor log house and of a log house expanded with a frame addition. The mid-nineteenth century double-crib, center-passage log barn is also largely intact and representative of its type. The property is tied to the Spoon family, who settled the area in the late eighteenth century and built up a large farm.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 93001192, listed November 22, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NC 1107 N side, 0.7 mi. SW of jct. with NC 1005, Snow Camp |
|---|---|
| County | Alamance County |
| Listed | November 22, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93001192 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1834; C. 1850 |
| Architectural style | Other: log, multi-room plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house was occupied by renters until 1987 and has been vacant since. It is somewhat deteriorated, but the roof is sound and the building stable. The log barn is still used for hay storage. |
| Acreage | 2.2 |
| Coordinates | 35.91531, -79.52085 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 93001192.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17509239
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.