Beeson, Col. Isaac, House
Why it's listed
Southeast of Colfax in rolling Guilford County farmland, this two-story brick house dates to about 1790, with bricks on the property marked 1787. Isaac Beeson, a Quaker who moved from Virginia in 1758 and became a prominent landowner raising livestock and grain, built it. The house follows the three-room Quaker plan, with a large room on one side and two small rooms on the other, under a gable roof with exterior end chimneys. Its Federal detailing is sturdy and still carries a Georgian feel. Inside, tripartite mantels, chair rails, and marbleized and wood-grained painted surfaces survive in notable condition. A one-story brick wing was added at the west end. The 1886 Charleston earthquake split the east wall, and iron rods were installed to hold it together. Later owners included planters and tobacco farmers. The house is valued as a Piedmont example of vernacular building shaped by sophisticated design sources, set apart from the German and Moravian forms common nearby.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent example of a medieval-derived three-room "Quaker plan" overlaid with robust Federal details that keep a Georgian feel. It is a notable survival in a Piedmont region dominated by German and Moravian building forms, and its interior woodwork is unusually rich and well preserved. The site may also yield information about rural life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
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 80002836, listed October 16, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S of Colfax, Colfax |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | October 16, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002836 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | Isaac Beeson, builder; the identity of the actual builder is stated as unknown |
| Architectural style | Federal (Quaker plan; late Georgian-early Federal) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Private residence, occupied; altered by a replaced front door, a 20th-century porch, concrete sills and added steel beams, but on its original site and in good condition. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 36.07488, -80.02204 (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 80002836.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460440
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.