Nash Law Office
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Why it's listed
This small one-story frame building on West Margaret Lane in Hillsborough served as a law office and later a music studio. It is thought to have been built by Duncan Cameron, a young Virginia lawyer, between 1801 and 1807, and was sold in 1807 to another young lawyer, Frederick Nash. Nash, born in New Bern in 1781, became a judge and ended his career as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, serving until his death in 1858. He used the office for more than fifty years, and young men such as congressman Abner Rencher read law there. After Nash died, his daughters and a cousin opened the Nash and Kollock School, and music lessons were held in the old office from 1859. A two-room wing was added about 1863 and the building remained a music studio until 1907. It has a gable roof, nine-over-nine windows and a Federal-style mantel. The Hillsborough Historical Society bought it in 1970.
Significance in brief: It is the oldest law office of its kind in Hillsborough and is tied to Frederick Nash, who used it for over fifty years and rose to chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. It served as an informal law school for young men reading law, and later as a music studio for the Nash and Kollock School.
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 71000609, listed September 28, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 143 W. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | September 28, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000609 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architect / builder | Duncan Cameron (thought to have built it) |
| Architectural style | Federal (interior mantel described as typical Federal style) |
| Areas of significance | Education, Law, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and unaltered, on its original site; owned by the Hillsborough Historical Society since 1970. |
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Within district | Hillsborough Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.07429, -79.10124 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 71000609.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19817697
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.