Herring, Bryan Whitfield, Farm
Why it's listed
Built around 1850 near Calypso in northwestern Duplin County, this two-and-a-half-story Greek Revival farmhouse was home to planter and state senator Bryan Whitfield Herring and his family. It has a five-bay front, a double-height entrance porch (the upper tier added in 1854), and four large exterior chimneys. Inside, a central hall holds mirror-image staircases and a partition wall that divides the upper floor, possibly to keep the sons' and daughters' quarters apart. The house belongs to a cluster of high-style antebellum homes built within about five miles of Faison for related, wealthy planters, after the railroad reached the area in 1838. A tornado in 1984 and hurricanes in 1996 damaged chimneys and outbuildings, but the house remains largely intact. Twenty-eight acres of fields, woods, a pond, springs and farm lanes are included as its setting. The land has passed through the family by inheritance and is still farmed, producing crops such as cotton, tobacco and sweet potatoes.
Significance in brief: The house is nominated under Criterion C for its high quality of design and craftsmanship in antebellum Duplin County. It is one of a group of Greek Revival houses built for interrelated planter families near Faison after the railroad arrived. The surrounding fields, woods and water features still convey the agrarian setting.
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 01001315, listed November 29, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NC 1311, 1 mi. E of jct. with NC 1302, Calypso |
|---|---|
| County | Duplin County |
| Listed | November 29, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01001315 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1850 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling and agricultural field; the house remains virtually intact despite a 1984 tornado and two hurricanes in 1996, and a new wood shingle roof was recently installed. |
| Acreage | 28 |
| Coordinates | 35.16632, -78.12661 (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 01001315.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4980468
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.