Hertford Historic District
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Why it's listed
Hertford's historic district preserves the center of a river town on the Perquimans River in Perquimans County, North Carolina. Incorporated in 1758 and laid out in a grid, the town grew outward from its courthouse green. The district holds 223 contributing resources, including houses from about 1775 onward, many of them two-story side-hall Federal dwellings later updated with Greek Revival details. Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes recall the prosperous 1890s, when the population doubled, and Craftsman bungalows date from the 1920s. Brick commercial buildings along North Church Street replaced earlier wooden ones, including the 1916 Classical Revival bank. Institutional landmarks include the 1825 Perquimans County Courthouse, a rare surviving Federal-era courthouse in the state, several nineteenth-century churches, Cedarwood Cemetery, a memorial to a 1672 Quaker service, and the S-shaped bridge over the river. Together they show how the town developed over two centuries.
Significance in brief: The district holds buildings from each period of the town's two centuries of development, from late-eighteenth-century Federal houses to 1920s Craftsman bungalows. It includes a rare Federal-era courthouse (1825), early churches, a largely intact brick commercial block, and Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses from the prosperous 1890s. The form states the setting, feeling and association convey the town's growth, and about 77 percent of resources contribute.
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 98001264, listed October 22, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Perquimans R., W. Academy St., Hyde St., and Dobbs St., Hertford |
|---|---|
| County | Perquimans County |
| Listed | October 22, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001264 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Hill C. Linthicum (Hertford United Methodist Church); William F. Stokes (W.R. Shannonhouse Building); L. B. Perry (Gregory's 5-10-25 Cent Store); George E. King Bridge Company (1898 bridge) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as well preserved with very few modern intrusions, though many houses have modern siding or additions; the Hertford Hardware Store remains in continuous use as a hardware store. |
| Acreage | 115 |
| Coordinates | 36.18944, -76.46735 (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 98001264.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19868195
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.