Sherman, Elijah, Farm
Why it's listed
Elijah and Georgianna Sherman built this farmstead in Granville County, North Carolina, probably shortly after buying 163 acres on Cub Creek in 1887. The house is a two-story, one-room-deep I-house with a center hall, weatherboards that have never been painted, a full-width front porch, end chimneys of rock and brick, and a one-story rear ell. Inside, hand-planed hall boards, wainscoting and matching mantels with pointed-arch lintels survive. Behind the house stand 17 contributing outbuildings, including log tobacco barns, a striphouse, a packhouse, corncribs, a stable, a smokehouse, a washhouse, a woodhouse, a privy and a stone well, along with a family cemetery. Together they show the working life of modest tobacco farmers in the bright leaf era. The farm is notable for its intact condition and the variety of its buildings, and it compares closely with the Puckett and Tunstall farms. Its significance is dated from the late 1880s to 1937.
Significance in brief: The farm is argued to be an intact example of a late nineteenth and early twentieth century bright leaf tobacco farm, with an unusually large and varied group of well-maintained outbuildings. The unpainted, little-altered I-house is considered a typical, traditionally built county farmhouse. The period of significance ends in 1937 because later farm activity has not achieved exceptional significance.
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 88001256, listed August 31, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | US 158, Berea |
|---|---|
| County | Granville County |
| Listed | August 31, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001256 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | late 1880s-1937 |
| Architect / builder | unknown (built by Elijah and Georgianna Sherman) |
| Architectural style | Other: I-house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in the family and occupied as a dwelling and farm; the privy and well remain in use, and the house has never had running water. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Coordinates | 36.32983, -78.77909 (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 88001256.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24436230
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.