Shuford House
Also known as: Maple Grove
Why it's listed
Maple Grove, the Adolphus Shuford House, is a two-story, three-bay frame house in Hickory, built about 1875. Its most striking feature is a two-story porch running nearly the full width of the front, with paired pillars, a patterned scroll-sawn balustrade and small paired brackets under the cornice. Three bracketed gable dormers, exterior end chimneys of common-bond brick and a central hall plan complete the design. A rear wing, said to be older, incorporates a small building that stood on the land before the house. Adolphus Lafayette Shuford was one of six founding commissioners of Hickory in 1863, an early railroad agent and a pioneer importer of thoroughbred Jersey cattle. He built the house as a homestead for his large family on a dairy farm that the growing town later surrounded. His family lived there until 1912. The house was later donated to the Hickory Landmarks Society as a memorial to Wade H. Shuford.
Significance in brief: The house is one of the earliest surviving houses associated with the Shuford family, prominent in Catawba County's textile and furniture industries. Its full-length double porch with sawn scroll balustrade and bracketed cornice gives a distinctive look to a fairly standard building type. It is also tied to A. L. Shuford, a founding commissioner of Hickory and an early Jersey cattle breeder.
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 73001313, listed April 24, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 542 2nd St. NE., Hickory |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | April 24, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001313 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1875) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition and altered; occupied, with the rear wing used as an apartment. Owned by the Hickory Landmarks Society, which is administering its preservation. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.74068, -81.33315 (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 73001313.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18158039
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.