Allen-Mangum House
Why it's listed
Near Grissom in Granville County, this frame house combines two building campaigns. The two-story rear ell was built in the late 1840s by Joseph B. Allen, a planter who bought his land in 1844, and it keeps plain Greek Revival mantels and doors. The front block, apparently built around 1880 by H. D. Mangum after he gained sole rights to the property, is a two-story I-house with a center hall. Its gables, brackets, triangular window caps and especially its front porch carry intricate cutout woodwork in Carpenter Gothic and Italianate style. Inside, the front rooms have wainscoting, Gothic pointed mantels, carved stair ends and a carved newel post. The nomination calls it the only surviving nineteenth-century house of this type in the county. It began as a plantation seat and later became the center of a bright leaf tobacco farm. A family cemetery east of the house holds the graves of Allens and Mangums, beginning with Joseph B. Allen, who died in 1854. The nominated area covers about 3.5 acres.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is the only surviving nineteenth-century dwelling in Granville County in the Carpenter Gothic and Italianate styles, with the county's most ornately carved woodwork. It is also valued for its craftsmanship, its intact condition and its rarity. It reflects the county's plantation era and the later bright leaf tobacco farming era.
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 88000410, listed April 28, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NC 1700, Grissom |
|---|---|
| County | Granville County |
| Listed | April 28, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000410 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | late 1840s-1937 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; the front block was apparently built by H. D. Mangum, and the rear ell was erected by Joseph B. Allen. |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate (Carpenter Gothic) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the house is described as well kept, intact and little changed. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.10566, -78.61686 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 88000410.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18640101
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.