Penland Post Office and General Store
Also known as: Bailey lumber Company Office Building; Bailey Lumber Company Office and General Merchandise Stor_
Why it's listed
Built around 1900 beside the Clinchfield Railroad in Penland, this long frame building with a front-gable metal roof and rough-sawn board-and-batten siding was erected by Col. Isaac Bailey for the Bailey Lumber Company. Its front section housed the company offices and a general store, and additions followed between 1902 and 1934. Mail arrived by train, and the building became the community's commercial center, selling groceries, dry goods, and clothing and handling real estate, feed, and equipment sales. Bailey's company supplied lumber for many Penland buildings, and the building was one of the few commercial structures to survive the flood of 1916. The post office moved into the building in 1934 and still operates there. The nomination treats the building's role in local commerce and communications, from about 1900 to 1962, as the basis for its listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its role in the commerce and communications of Penland from about 1900 to 1962, when it housed the Bailey Lumber Company office, a general store, and later the post office. It is described as the oldest remaining commercial building from the community's logging and mining era and the only active post office located directly along the Clinchfield Railroad tracks.
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 12000214, listed April 16, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1162 Penland Rd., Penland |
|---|---|
| County | Mitchell County |
| Listed | April 16, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000214 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1900-1962 |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Communications, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Post office remains in use; the main commercial block is described as vacant and the rear and loading dock additions as deteriorated or partially collapsed. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 35.93034, -82.11168 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 12000214.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19866198
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.