Lackey, John Alexander, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1900 on the outskirts of Morganton, this two-story brick farmhouse is T-shaped, with a slate roof, boxed cornices, gable finials and original lightning rods. John Alexander Lackey, a former Burke County sheriff and local businessman, built it after an earlier frame house on the site burned about 1899. He appears to have chosen brick and slate to make the house as fireproof as possible, and he used fashionable Colonial Revival details. Inside, the house keeps molded door and window surrounds with corner blocks, beaded board wainscoting, six original mantels, and a quarter-turn staircase with a turned newel post. The parlor mantel has fluted columns and a beveled mirror overmantel. Most Burke County farmhouses of the period were frame, so a brick example with a slate roof is unusual. Recent rehabilitation added a porch, bathrooms and a rear extension, but the house still reads as a turn-of-the-century farmhouse. Lackey lived there until his death in 1921.
Significance in brief: The house is an unusual Burke County example of a traditional T-shaped farmhouse built in brick, when most farmhouses in the Western Piedmont were frame. It also has Colonial Revival detailing and a slate roof, both rare for a rural house of its time. It retains its basic integrity despite recent rehabilitation.
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 87001921, listed November 9, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 102 Camelot Dr., Morganton |
|---|---|
| County | Burke County |
| Listed | November 9, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001921 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1900 |
| Architect / builder | Built by John Alexander Lackey; builder/architect listed as unknown |
| Architectural style | Vernacular T-shaped farmhouse with restrained Colonial Revival influences |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence, rehabilitated in recent years with a new porch, a small second-story addition for bathrooms, and a rear kitchen wing extension. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Coordinates | 35.76808, -81.71845 (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 87001921.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18153315
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.