Moss-Johnson Farm
Also known as: Johnson Farm
Why it's listed
This farm complex on Haywood Road northwest of Hendersonville grew around a two-story brick farmhouse begun in 1874 and finished in 1880 for Oliver H. Moss. Local builder Riley Barnett, probably also its designer, made the bricks on site, covered them with tinted stucco painted with lines to imitate large, regular masonry, and crafted the walnut, chestnut and pine interior woodwork, including a quarter-turn stair rising to the attic. After the tobacco market collapsed, Moss sold the farm in 1888 to Robert Liverett. His daughter Sallie Johnson and her sons Vernon and Leander ran a summer boarding house there from about 1913 until 1958, adding a frame boarders' house, a barn and a small dwelling. The family later donated the land to the Henderson County Board of Education, which uses the complex as a farm museum and for school activities. The farm illustrates the region's move from farming to tourism and is notable for its substantial, skillfully detailed house.
Significance in brief: The farm reflects western North Carolina's shift from agriculture, including tobacco, to a tourism-based economy between 1880 and 1930. The brick house is unusually substantial for its local setting and combines vernacular and popular details, including penciled stucco and fine interior woodwork attributed to Barnett.
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 87000021, listed February 10, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3346 Haywood Rd., Hendersonville |
|---|---|
| County | Henderson County |
| Listed | February 10, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000021 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1874-1933 |
| Architect / builder | Riley Barnett (builder/architect?) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular farmhouse; traditional in style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Economics, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The brick farmhouse and the small 1933 dwelling are occupied. The farm complex is owned by the county board of education and used for school activities and as a farm museum, with a teacher-caretaker living on site. The hen house and pig barn are in disrepair. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Coordinates | 35.35964, -82.50877 (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 87000021.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987203
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.