Cover, Franklin Pierce, House
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Why it's listed
Built in 1900 in Andrews, Cherokee County, this brick Queen Anne house was completed for Franklin Pierce Cover as he opened a tannery in the mountain town. It stands on a broad lawn one block from the main street, facing south toward the Valley River Mountains, and is dominated by a massive three-story octagonal corner tower with a splayed cap and a chevron-patterned corbeled cornice. The interior retains original oak and pine woodwork, plastered walls and several oak mantels. The house is regarded as one of the largest residences remaining from the town's industrial growth, and its brick construction is unusual for the region. Cover's sons Samuel and Giles ran the firm, F. P. Cover & Sons, until 1939. Lilian Brittain Cover, who lived in the house after 1936, was a North Carolina women's political pioneer who served in the state House of Representatives. The house is significant for its architecture and for these associations with industry and politics.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is one of the largest surviving residences from Andrews' industrial development and an unusual example of a Queen Anne house executed in brick in western North Carolina. It also associates the house with the Cover family's tannery and with Lilian Brittain Cover, a women's political pioneer who lived there.
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 82001293, listed November 12, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SR 1388, Andrews |
|---|---|
| County | Cherokee County |
| Listed | November 12, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001293 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1899-1900 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is described as altered and in good condition; it is now owned and occupied by a descendant of the Cover family. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 35.20192, -83.82707 (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 82001293.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17986695
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.