Howell, Alden and Thomasene, House
Why it's listed
Set on a hill overlooking the north end of Main Street in Waynesville, this ca. 1905 house is one of three Shingle Style residences built as a family compound called Woolsey Heights. Minthorne Woolsey, an Alabama cotton broker who first came to town as a summer visitor, built homes for himself and his two daughters. This one went to Thomasene Woolsey and her husband Alden Howell Jr. The two-and-one-half-story house has asymmetrical massing, a cross-gambrel roof, a corner turret, a wraparound porch with stone piers, and a stone porte-cochere. Shingles cover the second story and wide German siding the first. Inside are a large living hall with a granite fireplace, a walnut staircase, and paneled wainscot. A gambrel-roofed carriage house, now a garage and apartment, also survives. The architect is unknown. Shingle Style houses are uncommon in the South, and this one is the most intact of the three Woolsey family houses, which is the basis for its local architectural significance.
Significance in brief: The house is a highly intact and rare example of the Shingle Style, a style uncommon in the South and in the North Carolina mountains. It is the best preserved of three Shingle Style houses built as a family compound by the Woolsey family, wealthy Alabama summer visitors who settled in Waynesville. It reflects the architectural influence of wealthy out-of-state visitors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth 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 03000300, listed April 22, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 129 Woolsey Heights, Waynesville |
|---|---|
| County | Haywood County |
| Listed | April 22, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000300 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1905 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Shingle Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function listed as single dwelling; the carriage house is now a garage with an apartment above. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 35.49500, -82.97964 (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 03000300.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19462427
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.