Robersonville Primitive Baptist Church
Also known as: St. James Place
Why it's listed
Built about 1910 on a half-acre lot on Outterbridge Street in downtown Robersonville, this weatherboarded frame church served the town's Primitive Baptist congregation until it was set down in the late 1970s. The building follows the plain front-gable meeting house type, with tall six-over-six windows along each side. Its three-stage center tower and single center entrance set it apart. Earlier Primitive Baptist churches used paired entrances for men and women, and this was the second church in the Kehukee Association designed with a center entrance from the start. Inside, the plastered walls, pine wainscoting, low arched ceiling and heart pine floor remain largely as built, with bathrooms added between 1925 and 1935. The church was founded by M. T. Lawrence and Stephen W. Outterbridge. After being acquired and restored in 1992, it opened in 1993 as St. James Place Museum, displaying folk art and ceramics. It is recognized for architecture, with 1910 as its period of significance.
Significance in brief: The church is significant under Criterion C for architecture. It keeps the traditional front-gable meeting house form but adds a three-stage center tower and a single center entrance, which marked a shift in Primitive Baptist design. It is described as the second Kehukee Association church built with a center entrance from the start, and its original form and interior remain largely intact.
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 05000322, listed April 20, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 107 N. Outterbridge St., Robersonville |
|---|---|
| County | Martin County |
| Listed | April 20, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000322 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1910 |
| Architectural style | Other: front-gable church with tower |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in the early 1990s and opened in 1993 as St. James Place Museum, open informally and shared with folk art and ceramics. Church services ended in the late 1970s. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.82469, -77.25769 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 05000322.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7341130
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.