Roberts-Carter House
Why it's listed
Set among farm fields near Bennetts Creek in Gates County, this two-story frame house was the center of one of the largest plantations in North Carolina's Albemarle region. It began probably in the 1830s as a side-hall dwelling blending Federal and Greek Revival details, then was enlarged around 1860 into a five-bay, center-hall house with front and rear double-tier pedimented porticos. A frame smokehouse of heavy timber construction and a ca. 1900 kitchen remain nearby. The Roberts family owned the land from the 1760s to 1917. Mills Roberts, who ran the plantation through the Civil War era, held 111 enslaved people in 1860, the most of any slaveholder in the county's history. In 1917 the house and 500 acres passed to Hattie Carter, and the property stayed in her family. The site is also valued for archaeology, since it sits on a prehistoric Chowanoke settlement and once held an eighteenth-century house that collapsed in the mid-1970s.
Significance in brief: The house shows a regional pattern of enlarging an earlier Federal/Greek Revival side-hall dwelling into a fashionable Greek Revival center-hall house with double-tier pedimented porticos. It was the seat of the Roberts family plantation, including Mills Roberts, the largest slave owner in Gates County's history. The site also has archaeological potential, including a prehistoric Chowanoke occupation and the location of an eighteenth-century house.
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 84002310, listed March 1, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Off NC 37, Gatesville |
|---|---|
| County | Gates County |
| Listed | March 1, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002310 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Federal/Greek Revival transitional, enlarged in Greek Revival style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Aboriginal, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant; described as in a state of moderate disrepair, with the smokehouse deteriorating. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 36.36141, -76.71650 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 84002310.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q21187962
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.