McElroy, Samuel J., House
Why it's listed
Built in the 1880s for farmer Samuel J. McElroy, this two-story, T-shaped farmhouse on Beatties Ford Road north of Hopewell Presbyterian Church is one of the finest surviving examples of its type in Mecklenburg County. Its asymmetrical form departs from the balanced I-houses that dominated the 19th-century countryside. The front porch retains slender chamfered posts, sawn brackets and a sawnwork balustrade, and a bay window marks the gable-front section. Inside, a central hall holds an open-string stair with turned balusters, original mantels with curvilinear friezes, board-and-batten ceilings and moulded door surrounds. At the rear, a kitchen wing joins an original smokehouse across a narrow breezeway, an arrangement unique in the county. A ca. 1885 tack house is the only surviving free-standing farm outbuilding. McElroy, a Confederate veteran wounded at Gettysburg, farmed here with his family, and the house passed down through his descendants into the later twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an outstanding example of the T-shaped, two-story vernacular Victorian farmhouses built in rural Mecklenburg County after the Civil War. It has one of the more ornate post-war front porches in the county and a largely intact interior. Its attached smokehouse is unique in the county, and its asymmetrical form reflects a shift away from the traditional I-house.
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 91000078, listed February 21, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10915 Beatties Ford Rd., Huntersville |
|---|---|
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| Listed | February 21, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000078 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1885 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in the form's current functions as a single dwelling and as vacant/not in use; the text also describes owners and a remodelled kitchen and family room. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.36985, -80.90237 (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 91000078.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987035
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.