Williamson House
Why it's listed
Built in the 1850s on land that was then on the edge of Louisburg, this one-story frame cottage follows the Greek Revival style. It has a brick basement, a hip roof, fluted cornerposts and an original entrance porch with fluted Doric posts and an arched balustrade. Inside, a center hall divides two rooms on each side, and the finish survives largely intact, including heavy mantels, a marbleized hall baseboard and woodgrained doors. The house was built for Tempie Perry Williamson, who returned to Franklin County as a widow with two sons and received the property from her brother Willie Perry. It has remained in the same family since. Among the enslaved people who came with her from Georgia was John H. Williamson, later a delegate to the 1868 Constitutional Convention, a member of the state House of Representatives and founder of the Raleigh Banner and the Raleigh Gazette. The house is noted for its architecture and for this connection to Black political history in the county.
Significance in brief: It is a little-altered, well-preserved example of the Greek Revival cottage, a type once common in Franklin County but now rarely intact. Its details relate it to other county houses of the 1850s. It is also linked to John H. Williamson, who came to the county as an enslaved person and became a prominent Reconstruction-era Black legislator and newspaper founder.
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 75001272, listed June 20, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 401 Cedar St., Louisburg |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | June 20, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001272 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Black, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, essentially unaltered, and occupied as a private residence at the time of nomination (1975). |
| Acreage | 4.5 |
| Within district | Louisburg Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.10098, -78.29555 (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 75001272.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20679862
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.