Jacocks, Jonathan Hill, House
Why it's listed
Rising from broad farm fields on Durants Neck in Perquimans County, this two-story frame house is really two houses joined in an L shape. The earliest part, a side-passage Federal dwelling, was built about 1815 for Joshua S. Whedbee. About 1838 Jonathan Hill Jacocks, a wealthy planter who served in the North Carolina General Assembly and at the 1835 constitutional convention, enlarged it into a center-passage Greek Revival plantation seat with a large rear ell. A full-width two-story portico with six Doric pillars was most likely added in 1847-1848. Inside, the Federal woodwork of the original rooms survives alongside Greek Revival mantels, folding and pocket doors, and a stair whose details are tied to local builder James Leigh. The 1.75-acre lot also contains an antebellum sawn-plank smokehouse, a rare surviving example of its type, and a 1930s or 1940s garage. The house is significant for its architecture and for its association with a prominent planter.
Significance in brief: The house combines a Federal-style dwelling of about 1815 with a Greek Revival enlargement and portico, built for Jonathan Hill Jacocks, a wealthy planter and state legislator. Its interior finish is linked to local master builder James Leigh. It also has rare surviving details, including an antebellum sawn-plank smokehouse and a chimney that still holds its wooden construction form.
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 98000276, listed April 1, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of New Hope Rd. and Jacocks Ln., New Hope Township |
|---|---|
| County | Perquimans County |
| Listed | April 1, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000276 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Attributed to builder James Leigh (stair and finish); original house built for Joshua S. Whedbee |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as work in progress, and the text refers to a planned rehabilitation. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Coordinates | 36.14666, -76.26593 (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 98000276.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19874605
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.