Nixon, Samuel, House
Why it's listed
Standing on the Perquimans River near Hertford, this one-and-one-half story house with a gambrel roof is thought to have been built about 1790 by Samuel Nixon, who bought the surrounding farm in 1789. Nixon became one of the wealthiest men in Perquimans County, running a store and a toll float bridge at his plantation. Inside, the house keeps a hall-and-parlor plan, a Georgian stair with a heavy square newel and turned balusters, and paneled wainscot and mantels. Beaded weatherboards survive, and the lower roof slope is covered with weatherboards instead of roofing material. William Rawls Blanchard bought the property in 1837 and moved his mercantile firm there. Around the toll bridge grew a commercial center with a wharf, cotton gin and press, and sugar mill. Blanchard also farmed, wove, tanned and held patents for cultivators. The house was listed as a surviving eighteenth-century gambrel dwelling linked to these local business figures.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an important survival of an eighteenth-century gambrel roof dwelling with much original fabric intact, including a handsome Georgian stair and mantel. It is also tied to Samuel Nixon, a prominent merchant who operated a toll float bridge, and to William R. Blanchard, whose "Blanchard's Bridge" became a nineteenth-century commercial center.
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 73001366, listed October 15, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NW of Hertford on SR 1121, Hertford |
|---|---|
| County | Perquimans County |
| Listed | October 15, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001366 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th and 19th centuries (specific date ca. 1790) |
| Architectural style | Georgian interior finish; gambrel-roof dwelling |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition, altered, on its original site, and used as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 36.21765, -76.49550 (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 73001366.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987311
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.