Endsley-Morgan House
Also known as: Reuben Starbuck House
Why it's listed
Set among tall trees in the rolling piedmont countryside near Colfax, this two-story brick house was probably built between 1780 and 1792 by Andrew Endsley, one of the Quakers who moved to western Guilford County from Nantucket. Its main block is one room deep, with two end chimneys, a side gable roof and Flemish bond brickwork with glazed headers. Inside, a three-room Quaker plan and two corner fireplaces sharing the east chimney are the most important surviving features. Later owners altered it, including the Morgan family, who owned it for over fifty years after 1896, and the Pattersons, who rehabilitated it in the 1950s. Two log buildings moved to the property in the twentieth century stand behind it. The house was listed because it is among the oldest of fourteen early brick houses that best represent Guilford County's early architecture, and because it reflects Quaker settlement in the area. Its key original elements outweigh the alterations.
Significance in brief: It is one of the few eighteenth-century buildings surviving in Guilford County and one of the oldest of fourteen late eighteenth and early nineteenth century brick houses that represent the county's early building traditions. It shows Flemish bond brickwork, a three-room Quaker plan and first-floor corner fireplaces. It is also tied to the settlement of the county and the migration of Quakers from the northeast.
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 84000117, listed October 25, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Off U.S. 421, Colfax |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | October 25, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000117 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1780-1792 |
| Architect / builder | Builder/Architect unknown (probably built by Andrew Endsley) |
| Architectural style | Quaker plan, Flemish bond brick house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; the grounds include a log building used as a pottery studio and another used for display of pottery. |
| Acreage | 7.6 |
| Coordinates | 36.12331, -80.01388 (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 84000117.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461594
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.