Faison Historic District
Why it's listed
Faison's historic district covers about thirty-one blocks of a railroad and farm-market town in the coastal plain of northwest Duplin County. The Atlantic Coast Line tracks, completed in 1840, run through a grassy central plaza, with the business district along East and West Center and Main streets and houses in the surrounding quadrants. Most stores are one- and two-story Commercial style buildings from 1900 to 1920 with decorative brick panels and cornices. Notable exceptions include a rare false-front frame store of about 1850-70, a pressed-metal upper facade unique in the county, the 1931 Cates pickle plant, and a 1933 Mission-style service station. Houses date from about 1850 to 1930 and range from Greek Revival and Italianate to Queen Anne and Bungalow/Craftsman. The 1918 Victorian Gothic Presbyterian Church and the 1888 depot, now a library, add to the group. The district was listed because it shows how the railroad shaped a small market town where business and home life remained closely linked.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be a noteworthy collection of commercial and residential buildings tied to the growth of a farming and market town in the inland coastal plain. The railroad, which arrived in 1840, drove the town's commerce and prosperity, and that prosperity shows in its Commercial style stores and in homes from about 1850 to 1930. It also holds rare buildings, including an early false-front frame store and a pressed-metal facade unique in the county.
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 96001550, listed January 2, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by College, Hill, Solomon, and Ellis Sts., Faison |
|---|---|
| County | Duplin County |
| Listed | January 2, 1997 |
| Reference number | 96001550 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Queen Anne, Greek Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, Commercial Style |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in mixed use: stores, a pickle plant, churches, houses and a library in the relocated 1888 depot. Some buildings have been altered, and many 1900-1920 storefronts keep original features. |
| Acreage | 69 |
| Coordinates | 35.11726, -78.13686 (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 96001550.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18354692
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.