Farish-Lambeth House
Why it's listed
Built in 1852 on a hill above the Deep River valley in northern Lee County, this two-story frame house is a Greek Revival farmhouse with an unusual asymmetrical four-bay front, brick gable-end chimneys with tumbled shoulders, and a hip-roofed porch. One chimney carries a painted plaque dated 1852. Behind the main block, a one-story wing grew in several phases through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, joined by former open-air breezeways that now form a T-shaped passage. The house was likely built by John W. Farish, a farmer and merchant, and later passed to the Lambeth family, who farmed the land, ran stores and kept orchards and many outbuildings; only a 1930s chicken house remains from that complex. The property was listed for its architecture. It represents a local group of refined Greek Revival houses with distinctive chimney details, and its evolved rear wing and well-preserved rural setting add to its interest. The period of significance runs from 1852 to about 1940.
Significance in brief: It represents a group of architecturally distinguished Greek Revival houses in the northeast part of Lee County that share decorative chimney details, here including a semicircular date plaque. It is also secondarily significant for its complex rear wing and breezeway circulation path. It retains good architectural integrity and its rural setting.
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 02000111, listed March 1, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6308 Deep River Rd., Sanford |
|---|---|
| County | Lee County |
| Listed | March 1, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000111 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1852-ca. 1940 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Retains good architectural integrity; only one historic outbuilding, a 1930s chicken house, survives of many that once stood on the property. The house was in use as a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 35.61596, -79.10541 (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 02000111.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461699
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.