Baker Farm
Also known as: Perdue
Why it's listed
Set on a slight rise in a tree-shaded yard in Franklin County, the Baker House is a two-story frame farmhouse that began as a three-bay Federal-period hall-and-parlor house, probably built in the early 1820s by James Baker. In 1856 the interior trim and mantels were reworked in the Greek Revival style, and a two-story rear wing and Victorian porch and front gable were added later in the nineteenth century. The Baker family owned the farm until 1934, and their changing tastes are visible in the house's layered woodwork. A smokehouse, a post-Civil War store building and several tobacco barns survive with it, forming a farm complex the nomination regards as increasingly rare in rural North Carolina. The property is also significant for its potential archaeological remains, which may document farm life.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a representative example of a prosperous eastern North Carolina farm family's changing housing over time, reflecting Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian features. It also contains a surviving nineteenth- and twentieth-century farm complex that the document says is rapidly disappearing from rural North Carolina. The form further states that archaeological remains may yield information on the antebellum farm economy.
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 82001297, listed October 5, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SW of Bunn on SR 1720, Bunn |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | October 5, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001297 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian (vernacular) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The property was occupied as a farm in the document's account; the present owner purchased it in 1981. |
| Acreage | 235 |
| Coordinates | 35.94981, -78.31361 (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 82001297.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460350
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.