Humphrey-Williams Plantation (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: Humphrey--Williams--Smith House and Plantation; See Also:Hump
Why it's listed
Along Raft Swamp in central Robeson County stands a two-story frame farmhouse completed in 1846 by Richard Humphrey, whose journal records its finishing in February of that year. The house has a five-bay front, a center hall, and a vernacular Greek Revival interior and exterior finish, with a front porch treated as an interior room and turned posts with coiled-rope capitals. Its trim is unusually whimsical for the region. Around it are a store and post office, a smokehouse, a carriage house, a tobacco barn and other early buildings. The 566-acre tract has passed through one family in unbroken succession since the eighteenth century. Timber, turpentine, and crops such as corn, cotton, and tobacco have all formed part of its economy. The estate's land records, probate papers, and family documents survive in the house, making it a well-documented example of antebellum life in southeastern North Carolina.
Significance in brief: The house is regarded as statewide architectural significance for its unusual, whimsical Greek Revival trim and a front porch finished as an interior room. The surrounding plantation, continuously held by one family for over two centuries and still farmed, is presented as one of the finest surviving antebellum plantations in southeastern North Carolina and a rare survivor of its kind in Robeson County.
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 88002608, listed November 16, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NC 211 between SR 1001 and SR 1769, Lumberton |
|---|---|
| County | Robeson County |
| Listed | November 16, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002608 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1784-ca. 1938 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still farmed; the farm acreage is rented for crops and the timberland continues to produce income. |
| Acreage | 566.6 |
| Coordinates | 34.70441, -79.06075 (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 88002608.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.