Freeman, James W., House
Why it's listed
Set along a red clay road amid fields of tobacco, corn and soybeans near Wilton, this small weatherboarded house was built in the 1820s or 1830s by an unknown builder. It rises one story and a loft on a traditional hall-parlor plan, with mortised and tenoned timber framing. Its east end has a Flemish bond shoulder chimney, and the parlor has a transitional Georgian/Federal mantel, hand-planed board walls and a ceiling of smoothly planed, beaded beams. James W. Freeman bought the house and 150 acres in 1845 for $650. Census records show him as a modest farmer who owned one enslaved girl. The house was sold out of the family in 1892 and later served mainly as a tenant house. It is valued as the most intact surviving dwelling of the county's yeoman farmers and small planters, showing that well-finished homes were not limited to wealthy planters. The nominated tract covers about 32 acres of the house and surrounding fields.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is architecturally significant as a finely finished, traditionally planned modest dwelling. It is historically significant as a rare surviving home of a yeoman farmer or small planter, the most intact such example in the county. The period of significance ends in 1865 because no buildings remain from the later bright leaf tobacco farm years.
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 88000411, 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 1623, Wilton |
|---|---|
| County | Granville County |
| Listed | April 28, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000411 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1820s/1830s-1865 |
| Architectural style | Transitional Georgian/Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by tenants; described as in fair and sound condition, with some deterioration due to lack of owner occupancy. |
| Acreage | 32 |
| Coordinates | 36.17192, -78.55507 (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).
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 88000411.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461841
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.