Littlejohn, Joseph B., House
Why it's listed
Set on a wooded 3.1-acre lot at 219 Devin Street in Oxford, this two-story timber-frame house dates to about 1820, when attorney and planter Joseph B. Littlejohn built it after moving from Edenton. It began as a side-hall plan and was soon extended to a five-bay, center-hall form. Its finely finished transitional Georgian/Federal woodwork, including three-part door and window surrounds, six-panel doors and paneled wainscoting, survives largely intact. Restoration work in the early 1980s revealed the original window framing and the numbered, pegged timbers. A pre-Civil War outbuilding, probably a smokehouse, is one of only two known in Oxford. The house is also noted for its residents: Thomas H. Willie, first principal of the Oxford Male Academy; Baptist minister Robert I. Devin and his son, Chief Justice William A. Devin; and federal judge Frank W. Bullock Jr. Together, its architecture, early plan types and occupants made it locally significant.
Significance in brief: The house is considered one of Oxford's and Granville County's most finely finished transitional Georgian/Federal style dwellings. It is an early example of both the side-hall and center-hall plans and is one of the three oldest buildings in Oxford. It is also significant to local social history for its prominent residents, including a Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and a federal judge.
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 88001268, listed August 31, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 219 Devin St., Oxford |
|---|---|
| County | Granville County |
| Listed | August 31, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001268 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | circa 1820-1937 |
| Architect / builder | Joseph B. Littlejohn (builder/designer per 1832 sale notice); form lists architect/builder as unknown |
| Architectural style | Transitional Georgian/Federal |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored by the current owners in the early 1980s and described as in excellent condition; still used as a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 3.1 |
| Coordinates | 36.31215, -78.58052 (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 88001268.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19986822
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.