Strawberry Hill
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Strawberry Hill is a plantation house on the edge of Edenton, North Carolina, begun in the late 1780s for Charles Johnson, a Scottish-born merchant and Chowan County politician. The first section was a two-story, side-hall house with late Georgian and Federal detailing. In the nineteenth century it gained an eastern extension, giving it a center-hall plan two rooms deep, and a two-tiered front porch typical of the Albemarle Sound region. Twentieth-century additions were made at the rear. Inside, an elliptical arch with reeded posts and a scalloped archivolt marks the stair hall, and a Federal mantel carries pinwheel-patterned end blocks. Johnson served in the state senate and was later elected to Congress. The land had earlier belonged to Captain Nicholas Crisp, and many owners farmed it with enslaved labor until after the Civil War. The house is valued as a modest, dignified example of Albemarle plantation architecture and a reminder of the area's plantation society.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a well-preserved Albemarle plantation house that evolved through Late Georgian, Federal and Victorian phases. It is tied to Charles Johnson, a Chowan County merchant and politician who served in the state senate and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. It also represents the region's antebellum plantation economy and may hold archaeological information about plantation life.
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 80002810, listed May 22, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Church St., Edenton |
|---|---|
| County | Chowan County |
| Listed | May 22, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002810 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1785-1788 |
| Architectural style | Late Georgian / Federal, with Victorian-era additions |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; described as refurbished and kept in good repair, though its original farm acreage has been sold off. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.06131, -76.59642 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 80002810.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18385781
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.