Ellerbe Springs Hotel
Why it's listed
Ellerbe Springs Hotel is a two-story, three-part frame building in late Victorian style, set among pines and dogwoods one mile north of Ellerbe. T. C. Leak built it after the Civil War, and much of the finish dates from about 1890 to 1915. Wraparound porches, second-story galleries, a metal-shingled hipped roof and Eastlake mantels mark the main building. The grounds also hold a dance pavilion with windows that raise into the wall, a picnic shelter, a small house that may be the oldest structure on the site, and a marble-basin mineral spring. The land served Highland Scots as a fairground in the late 1700s, and the spring was developed as a resort in 1850. The resort peaked around 1900, later housed a National Youth Administration school and a Boy Scout camp, and now functions as a campground, restaurant and gift shop. It was listed as a surviving example of a rural Southern resort.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the hotel and its grounds as an important example of the rural resort hotels found across North Carolina and the South in the nineteenth century. The site also ties to Highland Scots fairs, to political figures Cameron Morrison and Terry Sanford, and to a 1940 visit by Eleanor Roosevelt. The buildings retain late Victorian and Eastlake features in a natural setting.
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 80002896, listed June 4, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N of Ellerbe, Ellerbe |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond County |
| Listed | June 4, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002896 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | T. C. Leak (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, with Eastlake elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and used as a restaurant and gift shop, with a family campground and an annual Scottish fair on the grounds. |
| Acreage | 48.2 |
| Coordinates | 35.09142, -79.76306 (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 80002896.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19872966
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.