Woodlawn School
Why it's listed
Woodlawn School is a two-room rural schoolhouse two miles northwest of Mebane in Alamance County, North Carolina. It was built in two stages, the first section in 1911-12 and a second classroom in 1913, using a Queen Anne-style plan by the Raleigh firm Barrett & Thomson published by the state Board of Education. The building has weatherboard siding, a brick foundation, an asphalt-shingle gable roof, and a belfry with a bell made at the Hillsboro Bell Company. The school's origins go back to a schoolhouse established around 1900 and a log building of 1901. Under teacher Annie Lasley, the school year was lengthened to eight months. The school is regarded as one of the best preserved rural schools in the county. In 1939, with Works Progress Administration funds, a stage was built in one classroom and the school became a community center. It continued in that role for decades, hosting Woodlawn Community, Inc. meetings and Farmers Union activities.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the school is one of the best preserved rural schools in Alamance County and a local example of early twentieth-century rural school construction during a period of educational reform. Its design follows a Queen Anne-style plan by Raleigh architects Barrett & Thomson published by the state. It also served as a community center for decades, which the nomination presents as a second basis for significance.
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 91001745, listed November 29, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N side NC 1921 0.15 mi. W of jct. with NC 1920, Mebane |
|---|---|
| County | Alamance County |
| Listed | November 29, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001745 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911-1941 |
| Architect / builder | Barrett & Thomson, Architects & Engineers |
| Architectural style | Simplified Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used seasonally for baseball equipment storage and as a community center; the document says it is not used to the extent it once was and there is interest in rehabilitating it. |
| Acreage | 4.4 |
| Coordinates | 36.11092, -79.29511 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 91001745.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8033034
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.