Belhaven City Hall
Why it's listed
Belhaven City Hall is a two-and-a-half story brick building on Main Street, built in 1910-1911 when the town was thriving as a lumber center. W. T. Kirk, a local carpenter, designed it, and mason C. F. Doughty built it with Kirk overseeing the woodwork. The brick walls are topped by a wood-shingled pediment and a belfry with scrollwork brackets. Originally the first floor held market stalls, the fire department and the town clerk's office, while the second floor was a large auditorium. The town financed construction with bonds. Town offices have occupied the building continuously, and since 1954 they have filled the whole first floor. The museum opened upstairs in 1967 and holds items such as 30,000 buttons and a preserved eight-legged pig. The building was listed for its link to the railroad-and-lumber boom, its role as a civic landmark unusually large for a small town, and its rare brick construction in a county dominated by frame buildings. Archeological remains may also survive on the site.
Significance in brief: It is the town's major landmark and the most visible reminder of Belhaven's turn-of-the-century prosperity as a lumbering center after the railroad arrived. It is also one of the oldest of the few non-commercial brick buildings in Beaufort County and the best attempt at high-style design in Belhaven in that period. Its designer, contractor and construction are well documented.
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 81000420, listed January 27, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Belhaven |
|---|---|
| County | Beaufort County |
| Listed | January 27, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000420 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911 |
| Architect / builder | W. T. Kirk; C. F. Doughty |
| Architectural style | Late-Victorian vernacular features |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as town offices on the first floor, with the Belhaven Memorial Museum on the second floor; the form lists it as occupied and altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.53923, -76.61070 (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 81000420.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17985823
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.