Powers, Isaac M., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1878 near Wallace in Duplin County, this one-story frame house was raised by Isaac Murray Powers, who was born into slavery in 1850 and later became a landowner, Republican speaker and Baptist minister. Powers bought ten acres in the mid-1870s and built the house from materials on the land: timbers and weatherboards from the property's trees, and brick piers and chimneys made from its clay. The center-hall plan has square rooms on each side, Doric porch posts, sidelights at the front door, cornice returns and hand-carved door surrounds and mantels. A rear kitchen ell burned in 1979, but the house has changed little otherwise, and an early twentieth-century smokehouse stands behind it. Powers eventually owned about 200 acres in Duplin and Pender counties, helped establish the Burgaw Institute, and raised seven children to adulthood in the house. It was listed for his life story and for its craftsmanship as a modest but distinctive rural dwelling.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion B for its link to Reverend Isaac Powers (1850-1936), a formerly enslaved man who became one of the first Black landowners in Duplin County, a Reconstruction-era political speaker and a Baptist minister. It is also significant under Criterion C as a well-crafted example of the center-hall house type with Greek Revival details and distinctive hand-carved door surrounds and mantels.
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 99000461, listed April 15, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NC 1154, 0.8 mi. S of jct. of NC 1154 and NC 4, Wallace |
|---|---|
| County | Duplin County |
| Listed | April 15, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000461 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1878-1936 |
| Architect / builder | Powers, Isaac Murray (builder) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition with little alteration since construction; a rear kitchen ell was destroyed by fire in 1979. Still used as a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 34.73384, -78.03333 (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 99000461.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18358291
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.