Mattocks, William Edward, House
Why it's listed
Overlooking the White Oak River on Front Street in Swansboro, this one-and-a-half-story frame house was begun in 1901 for William Edward Mattocks, a former ship captain and marine engineer, and was completed during the 1910s. Mattocks did some of the carpentry, but most of the work was done by local carpenter Robert Lee Smith. The board-and-batten house has a steeply pitched gabled roof, dormers, an engaged two-tier porch and a center stair hall. It was modelled on the coastal plain cottage, a much older local house type, and the form reflects the national Colonial Revival movement. Inside, beaded board sheathing and chamfered trim reflect late Victorian craftsmanship typical of Swansboro. A smaller cafe building beside it, built about 1931 by Mattocks's daughter Dorothy Sanders, copies the main house's form and detailing. The property is recognized for architecture at the local level.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is locally significant under Criterion C as a deliberate Colonial Revival evocation of the older local coastal plain cottage form. It is also significant as an example of late Victorian craftsmanship produced in Swansboro's lumber-boom era. The circa 1931 cafe, built to mimic the main house, is also counted as significant.
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 89000166, listed March 22, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 109 Front St., Swansboro |
|---|---|
| County | Onslow County |
| Listed | March 22, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000166 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1901 - circa 1910s |
| Architect / builder | Mattocks, William Edward; Smith, Robert Lee |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as work in progress; the interior is described as well preserved. The foundation is now concrete block, replacing the original brick piers. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Within district | Swansboro Historic District (Additional Documentation) |
| Coordinates | 34.68745, -77.11785 (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 89000166.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20745475
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.