Holloway, Kinchen, House
Also known as: Guess Mill House
Why it's listed
Set on a slight hill facing Guess Road north of downtown Durham, this two-story frame farmhouse was built around 1870 by Kinchen Holloway, a farmer and the miller at the nearby Guess-Geer Mill on the Eno River. It follows the traditional I-house form, with four rooms divided by a central hall, a one-story rear ell, end stone chimneys and a standing seam metal roof. An earlier log house from about 1850 once faced the river, but the new house reoriented the property toward the road. Twentieth-century changes included a new stone foundation, a modernized kitchen, bathrooms and altered porch and gable windows, yet original sheathing, mantels, wire-cut nails and even children's names etched on a bedroom wall survive. A 1991 county survey counted it among only eight remaining I-houses from the Reconstruction era, which is the basis for its recognition for architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is locally significant under Criterion C for architecture as an intact example of the I-house form, a vanishing nineteenth-century house type in Durham County. It is one of only eight remaining I-houses from the 1865-1880 period identified in a 1991 county survey. It retains its original form and many original interior and exterior finishes.
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 08000814, listed August 29, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4418 Guess Rd., Durham |
|---|---|
| County | Durham County |
| Listed | August 29, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000814 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1870 |
| Architect / builder | unknown (built by Kinchen Holloway and likely his father, James Holloway) |
| Architectural style | Other: I-house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling; renovated in the 1940s and again from 1986 to 1996, with most original form and fabric retained. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Coordinates | 36.07432, -78.93402 (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 08000814.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19462367
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.