Moore, Alexander, Farm
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
This farmstead on the south bank of the Catawba River, now part of Lake Norman, centers on a two-story frame house dated 1843 by an inscription on its brick chimney. Alexander Moore, who bought 320 acres in 1831, built the house in a plain vernacular style with minimal late Federal details. Surviving outbuildings include a log wagon shed, a log smokehouse, a mid-nineteenth century log barn with half-dovetail notching, and a large frame barn from around 1900. The property has shrunk from the original tract to about 27 acres, but it still reads as a nineteenth century piedmont farm. In 1860 Moore raised corn, wheat, cotton, hay and a range of other crops and livestock, showing the self-sufficient character of local farming. The farm passed through five generations of the family, which supports its listing for both agricultural history and architecture.
Significance in brief: The farm is an intact nineteenth century piedmont farmstead that has stayed in the Moore family for five generations, nearly 150 years. The house is a typical vernacular late Federal farmhouse of antebellum Catawba County, and the log and frame outbuildings represent rural farm buildings of the county. It also illustrates the self-sufficient family farm that underpinned the county's economy.
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 90000664, listed April 27, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SR 2646 0.5 mi. NW of SR 1004 jct., Catawba |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | April 27, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000664 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1843-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (house built by Alexander Moore) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular late Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is occupied by a descendant of the original builder, who continues light farming. The house has been altered inside and out, and several early outbuildings have been lost. |
| Acreage | 27 |
| Coordinates | 35.70144, -81.00031 (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 90000664.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18154609
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.