King-Freeman-Speight House
Also known as: Francis Speight House
Why it's listed
Set in a three-acre yard of large oaks near Woodville and Windsor in the rural Republican community, this plantation-era house began as a story-and-a-half, three-bay frame dwelling built around 1808 for Charles King, a prosperous Bertie County farmer who owned several hundred acres and slaves. John Freeman, county sheriff, acquired the property in 1828 and is associated with the two-and-a-half story side-hall addition, while the older section received a second floor and new woodwork in 1907. The house is valued for its interior, including a Federal-period mantel, a center-hall stair, and parlor woodgraining described as among the best examples in eastern North Carolina. Later owners included planter Whitmel T. Sharrock and the Rev. Thomas T. Speight, a Baptist minister whose son, the landscape painter Francis Speight, was born in the house and taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for decades. Its surviving outbuildings include a Greek Revival office and smokehouses, and the successive changes show how owners adapted it.
Significance in brief: The house is significant for its interior woodwork, including Federal-period trim and elaborate parlor woodgraining described as among the best in eastern North Carolina. It is also tied to local figures, including sheriff John Freeman and the Rev. T. T. Speight, and to the painter Francis Speight, who was born there. The document presents it as an example of how a Bertie County plantation house was adapted over successive owners.
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 82001280, listed December 2, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W of Republican on NC 308, Republican |
|---|---|
| County | Bertie County |
| Listed | December 2, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001280 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Federal domestic architecture; hall-and-parlor plan with a Federal side-hall plan addition |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 3.3 |
| Coordinates | 36.07734, -77.09456 (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.
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 82001280.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18153171
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.