Avirett-Stephens Plantation
Why it's listed
Built in 1851 for John Alfred Avirett, Sr., the two-story frame house in Onslow County stands on an 83-acre remnant of a plantation that once covered about 25,000 acres. Its vernacular Greek Revival form uses rough-sawn heart pine board and batten sheathing on brick piers, a center hall plan and a two-tiered porch. The plantation was a major producer of turpentine, a product of the longleaf pine forests that covered most of its land, and Avirett was among the wealthiest planters in the county before the Civil War. Avirett sold the house and 10,000 acres to Christopher Dudley Stephens in 1857, and Stephens farmed the property until his death in 1891, adding cotton and diversified crops. The interior is valued for its graining on doors, window moldings and sashes, and for marbleized fireplace surrounds, which are rare in the county. The surviving cemetery, cistern and cleared fields preserve the physical layout of the plantation seat.
Significance in brief: The house is described as the earliest known board and batten dwelling in Onslow County and is noted for its unusually sophisticated interior decorative painting, including graining and marbleizing. The surviving land and buildings are presented as the remaining intact portion of an antebellum turpentine and agricultural plantation that was among the largest in North Carolina.
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 91000465, listed April 18, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | US 258/24 .25 mi. N of NC 1227, Richlands |
|---|---|
| County | Onslow County |
| Listed | April 18, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000465 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1851-1890 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; the house continues to be occupied by a member of the family. |
| Acreage | 83 |
| Coordinates | 34.85006, -77.53426 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 91000465.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460327
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.