Swansboro Historic District (Additional Documentation)
Also known as: See Also:Mattocks, William Edward, House
Why it's listed
Swansboro's historic district takes in most of the old center of a small port town at the mouth of the White Oak River in Onslow County. Its 123 resources are mostly houses and stores, and 77 of them contribute to the district's character. Most contributing buildings are one- and two-story frame structures from about 1890 to 1925, the years of the town's lumber boom, with a scattering of earlier ones. Five antebellum houses survive, including the Peter Ringware House, built about 1778 and possibly the oldest house in the county. Lumber-era houses, mostly I-houses, share ornament made from stock moldings produced at local mills, giving the town a look distinct from the rest of the county. Front Street's stores are almost all frame, unlike the brick downtowns of Jacksonville and Richlands, and the 1839 Ferrand Store is the county's only surviving nineteenth-century brick building. The district was recognized for its architecture, commerce and industry between 1770 and 1938.
Significance in brief: The district is significant locally for architecture, commerce and industry. It preserves a small group of antebellum houses and stores, plus a large set of lumber-boom era houses that share distinctive mill-produced ornament. Its mostly frame commercial buildings differ from the brick downtowns of other Onslow County towns.
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 90000440, listed March 16, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Walnut, Main, and Elm Sts., NC 24, White Oak River, and Church, Water, and Broad Sts., Swansboro |
|---|---|
| County | Onslow County |
| Listed | March 16, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000440 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1770-1938 |
| Architect / builder | Smith, Robert Lee (builder); otherwise unknown |
| Architectural style | Coastal plain cottage, Federal/Greek Revival, late Victorian millwork, Bungalow |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Of 123 resources, 77 (about 63 percent) are contributing; many buildings remain in domestic, commercial, government and religious use, and one noted commercial building is vacant. |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Coordinates | 34.68677, -77.11992 (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 90000440.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19817715
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.