Foust, Daniel P., House
Why it's listed
Just outside Whitsett in eastern Guilford County, this L-plan frame house grew in two phases on a farm once covering ninety-one acres. Daniel P. Foust and his wife Cleodora built the two-story Greek Revival block around 1856, with a center hall, six-over-six windows and a hipped porch. Between 1867 and 1881 a taller Italianate block was added to the south, becoming the main front of the house. It has a triple-gable form, paired and single brackets, sawn balustrades, a two-tiered porch and walnut and marble interior finishes. Foust farmed, ran mills, a tannery and a general store, and served as postmaster until 1905. Alterations made in the 1940s were later reversed, including a rebuilt interior wall and chimney, so the house retains high integrity. Outbuildings include granaries, a barn, a cold frame and a relocated post office building. The house is considered significant for architecture, with one of the county's most intact pairings of Greek Revival and Italianate styles.
Significance in brief: The house is locally significant under Criterion C as one of Guilford County's finest and best-preserved examples of both Greek Revival and Italianate architecture. Its elaborately decorated Italianate addition compares with the Ingle-Kraus-Hodge House, the county's only other highly decorated rural Italianate house. The surrounding landscape also remains much as it was when the Fousts farmed it.
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 04001522, listed January 20, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 439 Brightwood Church Rd., Whitsett |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | January 20, 2005 |
| Reference number | 04001522 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1856 - ca. 1881 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival; Late Victorian/Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Well maintained and in use as a single dwelling after restoration work in the 1990s; a relocated former post office on the grounds serves as a postal museum. |
| Acreage | 21.4 |
| Coordinates | 36.07776, -79.57977 (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 04001522.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461814
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.