Snow Hill Historic District
Why it's listed
Snow Hill's historic core is a district of roughly twenty blocks along Greene Street, on a ridge above Contentnea Creek and Long Branch in Greene County, North Carolina. It includes a three-block commercial strip, the 1935 Colonial Revival courthouse built with Works Progress Administration funds, and the oldest dwellings of the town to the south. Houses range from mid-nineteenth-century Greek Revival and a Gothic Revival cottage to Italianate, Stick Style, Queen Anne, Neoclassical and many Craftsman bungalows. Most homes date from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when the tobacco industry and a railroad from Kinston brought growth and a more commercial village economy. Churches in Revival styles and a few unusual designs, such as a Spanish Mission house, add variety. Of 303 resources, 192 contribute to the district's character. Its period of significance runs from about 1850 to 1945, and it is recognized for community development and architecture as a small county seat that has changed little since 1950.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be significant under Criteria A and C, in the areas of Community Planning and Development and Architecture. It preserves a small county seat that grew with the tobacco industry and the railroad, and it holds a varied collection of Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Stick Style, Queen Anne, Neoclassical, Craftsman and Colonial Revival buildings. Its overall integrity is described as impressive.
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 00001122, listed September 14, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Greene, Harper, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sts., Snow Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | September 14, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00001122 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1850-1945 |
| Architect / builder | Herman, Thomas B.; Loving, T.A. Company; Faircloth, W. T.; Porter and Goodwin |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Stick/Eastlake, Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The district remains in use as a small county seat, with houses, shops, the courthouse, churches and a cemetery still serving their functions. |
| Acreage | 153 |
| Coordinates | 35.45273, -77.67091 (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 00001122.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q22061088
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.