Walker's Inn
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Why it's listed
Walker's Inn is a two-story, five-bay frame house south of Andrews, built around an earlier three-bay log house that family tradition dates to 1844. A double porch spans the front, and the house sits on a stone foundation with stuccoed end chimneys and a one-story rear wing for cooking and dining. William Walker, who bought the land after Cherokee Removal opened the area to settlement, made it his home. It became a stagecoach stop on the state-built Western Turnpike between Franklin and Murphy, a road important to far western North Carolina. In July 1857 landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted stayed overnight and wrote about the visit in The Slave States. Walker served as magistrate, postmaster and militia captain before being captured by Union soldiers in 1864. His widow, Margaret, kept the inn running after the war. The house later served as a private residence and is now maintained as a house museum with family papers and objects.
Significance in brief: It was the home of William Walker and a mid-nineteenth century stagecoach stop on the state-built road from Franklin to Murphy, which mattered to the development of far western North Carolina. Frederick Law Olmsted stayed there in 1857 and described the visit in The Slave States. The house is tied to settlement of former Cherokee lands after the Cherokee Removal.
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 75001247, listed August 19, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S of Andrews on SR 1505 off SR 1393 and NC 19, Andrews |
|---|---|
| County | Cherokee County |
| Listed | August 19, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001247 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Federal elements (also noted as having Greek Revival elements) |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In good condition; occupied as a private residence and house museum. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 35.19316, -83.80447 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 75001247.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18159108
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.