Crews, Thomas A., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1891 in Walkertown, north of Winston-Salem, this two-story frame house shows Queen Anne influence through its intersecting gables, wrap-around porch with turned posts and sawn brackets, and free-flowing interior plan. Thomas Albert Crews, a tobacco manufacturer, built it on land he bought in 1890, and it was enlarged around 1911. The property includes a brick wash house, a frame smokehouse, and other outbuildings, set among maple, oak and pear trees. Crews's T. A. Crews Tobacco Company employed up to 350 workers in a three-story factory, of which only the brick smokestack remains. Crews also led efforts for Love's Methodist Church and helped start Walkertown's school. The house is regarded as the best preserved late nineteenth-century Queen Anne dwelling in the community, and its outbuildings are among the finest surviving examples in the county.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is the most fully developed and best preserved example of late nineteenth-century Queen Anne domestic architecture in Walkertown, and that its brick wash house and frame smokehouse are unusually fine outbuildings for the county. It also links the property to Thomas Crews's tobacco manufacturing business, its later sale to a Reynolds-related firm, and his civic work in education and church life.
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 93000316, listed April 26, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4997 Main St., Walkertown |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | April 26, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000316 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1891-1940 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; Vernacular Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is occupied by the Crews family; the 1992 renovation returned it to its 1911 appearance. |
| Acreage | 7.2 |
| Coordinates | 36.17504, -80.15134 (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 93000316.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461209
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.