Atkinson-Smith House
Why it's listed
Set at the end of a long lane amid flat Johnston County farmland, this two-story frame plantation house was built about 1850 for Elijah Atkinson, a planter whose family owned large tracts along the Neuse River. Its form is typical Greek Revival: three bays wide, a central entrance and a shallow hip roof. The ornament is far richer than usual, including a two-tier portico with fluted Doric and Ionic columns, elaborate door surrounds and unusual cornerblocks. Inside, a center hall carries an elaborate plaster ceiling medallion, and a spiral stair rises in a rounded well beside the hall. After Atkinson's death, his widow married William A. Smith, an outspoken Unionist before the Civil War and later a Republican during Reconstruction who served one term in Congress. The house is valued for its ambitious design, its remarkably unaltered condition and this political connection. It remains in the Smith family, with a barn and tobacco barns behind it.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a remarkably unchanged antebellum plantation house of unusual ambition for rural Johnston County. It combines Greek Revival form with lavish ornament that anticipates the Victorian era, and it has a notable curved stair and well-preserved plaster and wood detail. It was later the home of William A. Smith, a prominent Unionist and Reconstruction-era Republican.
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 75001276, listed June 5, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10 mi. E of Smithfield off SR 1007, Smithfield |
|---|---|
| County | Johnston County |
| Listed | June 5, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001276 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1850 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as remarkably unchanged and still owned by descendants of William A. Smith; the form marks the property as occupied and a private residence. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 35.71404, -78.23778 (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 75001276.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460308
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.