Harrellsville Historic District
Why it's listed
Harrellsville is a small farming village in southeastern Hertford County, North Carolina, near the Chowan and Wiccacon rivers. The historic district follows Main, Quebec and Tar Landing streets and includes 85 contributing resources: houses with their outbuildings, frame stores, churches, a cemetery and farmland. Most significant buildings date from 1870 to 1940, though the Abner Harrell House, a two-story Federal-period frame dwelling, dates from about 1811 and anchors the oldest group of buildings. The village grew from Bethel's Crossroads, where planter George Bond, then John Wilson and Abner Harrell, established a farm and store at the meeting of major roads. Fires in 1864, 1888 and 1913 destroyed many earlier buildings, and replacements shaped the present village. Architectural styles range from Federal-Greek Revival to Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Craftsman. Frame commercial buildings along Main and Quebec streets survive largely intact, which is unusual because brick replaced frame in most towns by the early twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents Harrellsville as a surviving agricultural crossroads village whose buildings span from an 1811 Federal-period house to early twentieth-century frame stores and Craftsman bungalows. Its frame commercial buildings survive with original exterior and interior features, which the form calls extraordinary. The village grew from Bethel's Crossroads, with Abner Harrell's farm and store as an early focus.
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 95001398, listed November 29, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly, E. and W. Main St., Quebec St. and Tar Landing Rd., Harrellsville |
|---|---|
| County | Hertford County |
| Listed | November 29, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001398 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Queen Anne; Bungalow/Craftsman; also Colonial Revival, transitional Federal-Greek Revival and I-house |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Abner Harrell House is stated to be presently vacant; the rest of the district retains residential, commercial and religious uses. |
| Acreage | 150 |
| Coordinates | 36.30159, -76.79105 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 95001398.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19462198
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.