Sherrill, Miles Alexander, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1886 near Sherrills Ford in southeast Catawba County, this two-story frame cottage was designed for the miller and farmer Miles Alexander Sherrill by Charles Henry Lester, the county's first known architect. Its irregular massing, steeply pitched gables, German siding with boarded overlay, and chamfered porch posts give it a Stick style character that is unusual for the county. The interior includes corner fireplaces with sawnwork brackets and a stairway with a carved newel. Lester appears to have drawn closely on plates in Palliser's Model Homes, published in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1878. The house is one of only a few surviving county houses known to be wholly his work, and it is valued as a rare patternbook example in a county dominated by vernacular housing. Its outbuildings include a nineteenth-century one-room schoolhouse associated with the local Black community, which is noncontributing.
Significance in brief: The house was designed by Charles Henry Lester, the county's first known architect, and is one of only a few surviving county houses known to be wholly his work. It appears to follow plates in Palliser's Model Homes (1878), making it a rare patternbook house in Catawba County. Its asymmetrical plan and three-dimensional corner mantels are considered unusual for the county.
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 90000665, listed April 27, 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 1849, 0.1 mi. S of SR 1848 jct., Sherrills Ford |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | April 27, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000665 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1886 |
| Architect / builder | Charles Henry Lester (architect) |
| Architectural style | Stick/Eastlake |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | One interior mantel was stolen while the house was vacant; the present owners are renovating the house. |
| Acreage | 4.8 |
| Coordinates | 35.62696, -81.00753 (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 90000665.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18158011
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.