Porter Houses and Armstrong Kitchen
Why it's listed
Three historic buildings stand on a one-acre parcel along Wells Road, southeast of Whitakers in Edgecombe County. Two are one-and-a-half-story frame houses from the last quarter of the eighteenth century: one with a gambrel roof, hall-parlor plan, double-shouldered Flemish-bond chimneys and exposed heavy-timber framing, the other a one-room gable-roofed house that was moved to the site in the early twentieth century. The third building is a kitchen dating to about 1850, with interior finishes and roof structure from about 1900. The land was granted to Charles Porter, Sr. in 1749, and the Porter family likely built one or both houses. The houses are among the oldest dwellings in the county and reflect building traditions carried south from tidewater Maryland and Virginia. Few eighteenth-century houses of this size and finish for the early planter class survive in the coastal plain, and detached kitchens have mostly been demolished or absorbed into later additions. These qualities support listing for architecture.
Significance in brief: The two Porter Houses are among the oldest surviving dwellings in Edgecombe County and show Chesapeake-derived building traditions brought into North Carolina's coastal plain. Few eighteenth-century houses of this scale and finish built for the emerging planter class survive in the region. The Armstrong Kitchen is a representative example of a once-common but now rare outbuilding type 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 02000988, listed September 14, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 821 Wells Rd., Whitakers |
|---|---|
| County | Edgecombe County |
| Listed | September 14, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000988 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Last quarter eighteenth century; ca. 1850, ca. 1900 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | One-and-a-half story gambrel-roofed house; one-room heavy-timber frame house; one-room frame outbuilding (Georgian-era traditional forms) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function listed as vacant, not in use. The gambrel-roofed house was stabilized and restored in 1994; the gable-roofed house and kitchen are slated for careful restoration. The gable-roofed house was moved at least once. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 36.06543, -77.66664 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 02000988.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24436213
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.