Margrace Mill Village Historic District
Why it's listed
Margrace Mill Village is a residential district at the southwest edge of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, built in 1919-1920 by the Neisler family textile company to house workers at the nearby Margrace and Patricia mills. Its houses line three streets off Margrace Road. Forty-six one-story frame mill houses come in four types, differing by room count and roof form, with a stone clubhouse and a two-story brick company store completing the principal buildings. The Neislers sold the houses, mostly to residents, in 1956. Since then, siding and windows have been replaced on many homes, yet the footprints and the repetitive streetscape remain largely unchanged, and only a few houses have been lost or heavily altered. Mature oaks planted after 1941 shade the streets. The mills drew workers during Kings Mountain's growth in the 1920s and made bedspreads and napkins sold nationally. Most of the mill complex has since been demolished, which makes the surviving village an uncommon record of the community.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the village is a rare, highly intact example of an industrial community, with its repetitive streetscape of four mill house types, clubhouse and company store largely preserved. It documents the Neisler family's textile enterprise and its role in Kings Mountain's growth in the 1920s. The houses were sold mostly to residents in 1956, ending the company village era.
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 09000288, listed May 6, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 101-117, 102-120 Cloninger St., 101-113, 102-116, 200 Fulton Dr., 145 Ark St., 101-107, 102-114 Water Oak St., Kings Mountain |
|---|---|
| County | Cleveland County |
| Listed | May 6, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000288 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1919-1956 |
| Architectural style | Other: one-story mill house; Bungalow/Craftsman; Commercial Style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mostly single-family dwellings in current use; the former mill complex nearby has largely been demolished; dairy farm buildings stand vacant and deteriorating. |
| Acreage | 9.6 |
| Coordinates | 35.22425, -81.36638 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 09000288.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18154101
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.