Rock Barn Farm
Also known as: Hoke--Roseman Farm
Why it's listed
Along Lyle Creek in north Catawba County, the Rock Barn Farm is a nineteenth-century farmstead built around a large two-story stone bank barn. Frederick Hoke, a Lincoln County justice of the peace, is credited with building the barn in the 1820s, and the county's first court chairman, he held the plantation until his death in 1844. Its stone walls are unusual for the western piedmont, and the nomination counts it among only four load-bearing rock structures known in Catawba County before 1900. After the Civil War, Hoke's son-in-law Daniel Roseman, a farmer, merchant and mill owner, built a Greek Revival frame house nearby. The house has a distinctive double-entrance plan and finely detailed interior woodwork. Several log and frame outbuildings, including a corn crib and granary, stand in the same complex. The site is listed for its agricultural value and its architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the stone bank barn is a rare example of stone construction in the western piedmont and one of only four load-bearing rock structures known in the county before 1900. It also presents the Greek Revival farmhouse as a fine example of postbellum county house design and the complex as a surviving group of agricultural buildings tied to the county's German-American farming heritage.
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 90001036, listed July 5, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | W side of SR 1709, .4 mi. N of jct. with SR 1715, Claremont |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | July 5, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001036 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1822-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Frederick Hoke (builder of the rock barn); Daniel Roseman (house, probably built soon after the Civil War) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In use as a functioning farm; the rock barn lost its east wall and part of its south wall in a flood around 1933-1934 and was rebuilt with a lightweight frame and sheet metal on those sections. |
| Acreage | 18.6 |
| Coordinates | 35.74245, -81.16075 (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 90001036.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18157461
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.