McKaughan, Isaac Harrison, House
Why it's listed
Built about 1875 on the outskirts of Kernersville, this two-story common bond brick house at 506 Salisbury Street follows an L-shaped plan with a center hall, one room deep, and a two-room rear ell. Italianate features include a bracketed cornice, segmentally arched bays, arched gable ventilators, and a one-story front porch with original brackets. Inside, the narrow hall holds a closed-string stair, and the parlors have Italianate mantels and late Greek Revival trim. Isaac Harrison McKaughan, born in 1837, began buying land in 1874 and eventually assembled a farm of at least 477 acres, with this house as its seat. The house is slightly plainer than comparable town houses of the period. It is regarded as the most intact of the 1870s brick Italianate houses in Kernersville, retaining original detailing and avoiding large rear additions. The farm has since been divided and developed, leaving only the house lot.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is the most intact surviving example of the 1870s two-story brick T- and L-plan Italianate houses built in Kernersville. It keeps its original exterior detailing, including the bracketed cornice and porch brackets, and its late Greek Revival/Italianate interior trim. It escaped the large rear additions made to other surviving houses of this type.
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 88000127, listed February 11, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 506 Salisbury St., Kernersville |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | February 11, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000127 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1875 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current use is a single dwelling; the house was being restored by its new owners at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | South Main Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.11372, -80.07756 (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 88000127.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987049
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.