Alston House
Also known as: House in the Horseshoe
Why it's listed
Alston House, also known as House in the Horseshoe, is a two-story frame plantation house built about 1772 in a horseshoe bend of the Deep River in Moore County. It has a gable roof, large Flemish bond brick end chimneys and a five-bay front with a shed porch. The central doorway is notably elaborate, with fluted pilasters, a fanlight and a keystoned architrave, and the interior includes a center hall plan and fine woodwork in the north parlor. Phil Alston, a militia officer and state senator, probably built it. In 1781 Tories led by David Fanning attacked Alston and his men there, leaving bullet holes that remain. Later owners included Governor Benjamin Williams, who enlarged the house with wings that a twentieth-century owner removed. A coal mining syndicate also held the property in the 1850s. The state acquired the house in 1955, and it now operates as a museum. It was listed for its Tory battleground history, its connection to important political figures, and its eighteenth-century architectural detail.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites the house as a Tory battleground from 1781 and as the home of several of North Carolina's most important political figures, including Governor Benjamin Williams. It is also described as a typical eighteenth-century plantation house with strikingly elaborate doorways and interior woodwork.
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 70000462, listed February 26, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Glendon on SR 1624, Glendon |
|---|---|
| County | Moore County |
| Listed | February 26, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000462 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Probably built by Phil Alston about 1772 or 1773 |
| Architectural style | Typical eighteenth-century plantation house |
| Areas of significance | Military, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent; used as a museum under the supervision of the Moore County Historical Society, owned by the state since 1955. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 35.46786, -79.38217 (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 70000462.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914609
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.