Perry, Dr. Samuel, House
Why it's listed
Built about 1857 near Gupton in Franklin County, this two-story frame house is a substantial four-square structure on a brick cellar, with a shallow hip roof, stuccoed chimneys and heavy pilaster-like cornerposts. It was probably built by Warrenton contractor Jacob Holt, whose Greek Revival-Italianate houses share distinctive features such as spearhead trefoil motifs, louvered folding doors and marbleized baseboards. Dr. Samuel Perry, a physician and planter, owned 37 slaves and a plantation of 1,100 improved acres in 1860. The house is regarded as the best-preserved of Holt's work in Franklin County and is tied by family and design to a group of houses in neighboring Warren County. Its interior retains dual stairways, a large folding-panel doorway in the center hall and Greek Revival mantels. The house has passed through the Perry family and then to the Alston family, who bought it in 1913.
Significance in brief: The house is described as the best-preserved example in Franklin County of the Greek Revival-Italianate work of builder Jacob Holt, whose houses form a related group in Warren and Franklin counties. It also reflects the antebellum plantation society and kinship network of the Perry, Alston and Williams families in the Shocco Creek area.
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 75001263, listed June 5, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E of Gupton on SR 1436, Gupton |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | June 5, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001263 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1857 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival-Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Remains in the Alston family and in residential use. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 36.19794, -78.15142 (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 75001263.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18711634
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.