Bellamy-Philips House
Also known as: Oak Forest
Why it's listed
Oak Forest is a working plantation near Battleboro in Nash County, North Carolina, where two houses stand about 100 yards apart. The older one, called the Green House, was built in the mid-1820s for Reverend William Bellamy. It is a two-story frame house with a vernacular hall-and-parlor plan, Federal proportions and Georgian-derived detailing. The second house, completed in 1905 by Rocky Mount contractor D. J. Rose for Joseph Battle Philips, is a white frame Neo-Classical Revival dwelling with a slate pyramidal roof and a front porch with a circular Ionic portico. Philips was a legislator and a leading scientific farmer. Dr. James Jones Philips bought the land in 1863, and the family has owned it since, a rare century of single-family ownership in eastern North Carolina. A cemetery, office, smokehouse and necessary also survive. Together the buildings show how architectural taste and prosperity changed on one farm.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the complex holds two significant houses, one Federal-style and one Neo-Classical Revival, on a farm kept in single-family ownership for over a century. It is tied to the prominent Bellamy and Philips families and to the 1905 work of Rocky Mount contractor D. J. Rose. The site is also expected to yield information about nineteenth-century farm life.
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 82003491, listed July 12, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SR 1522, Battleboro |
|---|---|
| County | Nash County |
| Listed | July 12, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003491 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | D.J. Rose, Contractor |
| Architectural style | Federal (vernacular, with Georgian elements) and Neo-Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The 1905 house is occupied as a private residence and the land is still a working farm. The older house has been unoccupied since about 1905, kept in good repair and used for storage. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Coordinates | 36.05420, -77.78285 (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 82003491.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460458
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.