Gardner House
Why it's listed
Built about 1827 east of Jamestown in Guilford County, this two-story brick house was the homeplace of Stephen Gardner, a Guilford-born Quaker who acquired land grants in the area beginning in 1779. The house is four bays wide, with brick laid in common bond, six-over-six windows with heavy stone sills, and a pair of chimneys at the north end that join above an unusual arch and rise as one. Inside, a modified Quaker plan places a central hall beside one large room and two smaller ones, with Federal and Georgian style mantels and distinctive interior stone window sills. A rear wing is said to be the original kitchen. After Gardner's death in 1830, a gold mine was found on family land, and in 1856 the property was sold to William Millis Wiley, whose Gardner Hill Mining Company produced copper ore until the mid-1870s. The mine site, a brick outbuilding and a log dwelling lie within the nominated area.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an important example of the Federal period brick houses typical of Piedmont North Carolina, notable for its brickwork, a variation of the Quaker plan and an unusual arch-linked double chimney. It has local historical significance as the home of an early Quaker settler. The nearby Gardner gold and copper mine site, operated as the Gardner Hill Mining Company, adds historical and archaeological value.
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 74001350, listed October 15, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E of Jamestown on SR 1383, Jamestown |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | October 15, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001350 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date ca. 1827) |
| Architectural style | Federal period; modified Quaker plan |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a private residence in good condition, altered, on its original site; marked as unoccupied at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 60 |
| Coordinates | 35.98863, -79.89101 (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 74001350.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461905
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.