Shepard Street-South Road Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Elizabeth City's Shepard Street-South Road Street district is a mostly residential neighborhood of houses, churches and neighborhood stores south of the downtown area. Development began in piecemeal fashion in the early 1850s on the former Race tract, a site of antebellum horse races, after the area was taken into the city limits in 1851. Growth continued through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and into the 1930s. The district holds Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Eastlake, Colonial Revival, Bungalow and American Foursquare houses, plus many modest gable-front dwellings. Its significance lies in its role as the center of Elizabeth City's black community after the late 1800s. Congregations of the city's major black denominations were located here, and the State Colored Normal School, now Elizabeth City State University, occupied a building in the district from 1892 to 1912. Several black fraternal halls and a movie theatre also stood in the neighborhood.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be the city's earliest neighborhood outside the original 1793 boundaries and the core of its large black community from the late nineteenth century. It contains a range of house types and styles from the antebellum period through the 1930s, along with churches, a school site linked to the State Colored Normal School, and fraternal halls.
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 94000164, listed March 11, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Ehringhaus and Edge Sts., Brooks and Boston Aves. and Charles Cr., Elizabeth City |
|---|---|
| County | Pasquotank County |
| Listed | March 11, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000164 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1849-1943 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Eastlake, Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, American Foursquare, Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Religion, Black, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 83 |
| Coordinates | 36.29433, -76.22204 (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 94000164.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7494431
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.