Snipes-Fox House
Why it's listed
Built circa 1900 by Alvis Snipes on a knoll in Siler City's first residential neighborhood, the two-story frame house is a three-gabled, three-bay dwelling with a wrap-around porch whose hipped roof follows obtuse angles, a feature the nomination links to the Queen Anne style. Its exterior is restrained, with a slight Gothic Revival influence in steep gables and louvered vents and a slight Greek Revival influence in its returned cornice. The interior is more ornate, with beadboard walls, seven original mantelpieces with sawn friezes, and a center-hall plan. Snipes bought the land from Samuel Siler in 1897. In 1908 the house passed to merchant Millard M. Fox, and the Fox family and their descendants lived there for nearly fifty years. The property is significant as a locally important, intact example of domestic design from the period. A rear smokehouse contemporary with the house is also noted as rare in the town.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is one of Siler City's earliest and most intact turn-of-the-century frame dwellings, with near-original exterior and interior woodwork. It is also associated with the Fox family, descendants of prominent early merchant Daniel G. Fox, who owned it for nearly half a century.
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 98001144, listed September 3, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 306 S. Dogwood Ave., Siler City |
|---|---|
| County | Chatham County |
| Listed | September 3, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001144 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1900 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by the present owners, who enclosed a porch in 1983 and renovated interior rooms. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.71908, -79.46633 (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 98001144.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18158160
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.