Riddick House
Why it's listed
Near Como in Hertford County, this plantation house began as a two-story, gable-roofed frame structure on a brick foundation and was later raised to three full stories. A Greek Revival two-story addition at the rear gave it an L-shaped plan. Inside, the center-passage plan holds Adam-style mantels, one decorated with oval ornaments said to resemble pineapple slices, separated by crossed snakes. Its origins go back to a plantation house built before 1750 on a hill above the Chowan River, burned by British troops in the Revolutionary War and replaced by James Maney. Abram Riddick bought the land in 1825, dismantled the Maney House and reused its materials about a mile inland. He grew the estate from under one thousand acres to seven thousand by 1860, with a school, store, warehouses and slave houses forming a settlement called Riddicksville. The house is valued for its unusual techniques and stylistic alterations.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to the Maney and Riddick plantation, which Abram Riddick expanded into a large estate with its own village. The nomination admits it is not of surpassing importance as an example of one architectural style. It argues the house is singularly intriguing for its unusual building techniques and stylistic alterations.
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 71000589, listed February 18, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 mi. S of jct. of SR 1319 and 1322, Como |
|---|---|
| County | Hertford County |
| Listed | February 18, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000589 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Abram Riddick (built the present house using materials from the dismantled Maney House) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival rear addition on an earlier frame house with Adam-style mantels |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, altered, moved, and occupied as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.52959, -76.93997 (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 71000589.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18749722
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.