Crossnore School Historic District
Why it's listed
Crossnore School Historic District covers about eight acres at the southwest edge of a mountain boarding school campus in Avery County, North Carolina. The school opened in 1913 for underprivileged mountain children, and the district preserves its oldest surviving buildings, dating from 1928 to 1960. They include the DAR Dormitory of 1933, a stone bell tower, the E. H. Sloop Chapel of 1956, a log chapter house re-erected from a ca. 1904 Avery County cabin, the Homespun House weaving room, and the former Garrett Memorial Hospital. Stone from the Linville River appears on every contributing building, giving the campus a unified rustic Craftsman character. Early buildings were quickly and cheaply built, and the dormitory set a standard of using native materials, including chestnut bark shingles. The district is recognized for its role in education and social history, and for the long support of the Daughters of the American Revolution under founder Mary Martin Sloop and Dr. Eustace Sloop. A 1988 administration building is the lone modern intrusion.
Significance in brief: The district holds the oldest surviving buildings of the school founded by Mary Martin Sloop and Dr. Eustace Henry Sloop. The buildings are linked by Linville River rock masonry and rustic Craftsman design. They reflect the school's educational mission, its long support from the Daughters of the American Revolution, and its community hospital. The only criterion cited in the text is A, in the areas of education and social history.
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 09000059, listed February 18, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Within the campus of Crossnore School, N. side of NC 1143, opposite junction with NC 1148, Crossnore |
|---|---|
| County | Avery County |
| Listed | February 18, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000059 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | David Patrick Moses (architect of the noncontributing Bayles Administration Building); John R. Weaver (school construction superintendent, head builder of the chapel) |
| Architectural style | Craftsman bungalow; half-dovetail log building |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Health/Medicine, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The school campus remains in use. The former hospital was refitted in 2005-07 as the school's adoptive placement services facility. The Homespun House houses the Crossnore Weavers and Gallery. |
| Acreage | 7.8 |
| Coordinates | 36.02350, -81.92942 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 09000059.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17512001
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.