Bryan-Bell Farm
Also known as: Oakview Plantation
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Pollocksville's western approaches hold the Bryan-Bell Farm, a 2251-acre tract of woodland and cultivated fields along NC 58 in Jones County. The plantation core was established by James C. Bryan, who bought the land in 1844 and probably built the two-and-a-half-story frame house in the early 1840s in the Late Federal style. In 1920, Joseph Hiram Bell's son Edward Earl Bell had the house remodelled in the Neo-Classical Revival style, adding a monumental four-column Corinthian portico. The property is regarded as a rare surviving intact nineteenth-century plantation in the county. Its landscape of fields divided by drainage ditches, and its outbuildings from the 1840s through the 1940s, document changes in land use from the antebellum period through tenant farming and mid-twentieth-century livestock raising. The house interior also keeps Late Federal mantels and mahogany-grained transom elements. The farm's enslaved workforce, owned by the Bryans, is documented in census records.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is one of the county's few surviving intact nineteenth-century plantations, illustrating the evolution of Jones County agriculture and a single plantation's development from the 1840s to the late twentieth century. The house is presented as the only Jones County example of Neo-Classical Revival style, and its original Late Federal form and 1920 remodelling are said to reflect the architectural influence of New Bern.
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 89002155, listed December 21, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NC 58, 1 mi. E of SR 1119, Pollocksville |
|---|---|
| County | Jones County |
| Listed | December 21, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89002155 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1844-1939 |
| Architectural style | Late Federal; Neo-Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Farm land is rented out; the main house is occupied by the family of the owner, and a smaller house is occupied by one of his sons. |
| Acreage | 2251 |
| Coordinates | 35.00217, -77.25807 (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 89002155.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460714
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.