Hunt, Joseph P., Farm
Why it's listed
Set along Goose Creek near Dexter, the Joseph P. Hunt Farm covers 81 acres of pasture, woodland and historic buildings. Joseph P. Hunt bought 350 acres in 1844 and soon built the two-story farmhouse, which has a trim Greek Revival finish, flat-paneled doors, post-and-lintel mantels and tall wainscoting made from wide hand-planed boards. Its plan shows a shift from the older hall-parlor layout to a center hall, and a kitchen and dining ell was added in the 1870s. Around the house stand nine contributing outbuildings, including log tobacco barns, a corn crib, a potato house, an insulated ordering house, a packhouse and an unusual combined icehouse and carriage house. The remains of the Breedlove Mill foundation form an archaeological site. The property stayed in the Hunt and Breedlove family until 1970. It was listed for its architecture and for what it shows of rural life from the plantation era through the bright leaf tobacco period.
Significance in brief: The farmhouse is argued to be significant as a traditional house in transition from the hall-parlor plan to the center-hall plan, with a modest but nearly complete Greek Revival finish. The log and frame outbuildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries illustrate farm life during the bright leaf tobacco era. The icehouse/carriage house is the only known surviving outbuilding of its dual type in the county.
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 88001265, listed August 31, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NC 1514, Dexter |
|---|---|
| County | Granville County |
| Listed | August 31, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001265 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1844-1937 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Other: vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling and for agriculture; the farm is privately owned and the outbuildings are described as neatly maintained. |
| Acreage | 81 |
| Coordinates | 36.38535, -78.54645 (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 88001265.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19462441
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.