Central Leaksville Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Dempsey-Reynolds-Taylor House
Why it's listed
Central Leaksville is a compact residential neighborhood of about sixteen blocks in western Eden, North Carolina, and contains the oldest residential area of the former town of Leaksville, established in 1795. Hilly, tree-shaded streets hold one-, one-and-a-half- and two-story houses, mostly of frame construction. The earliest is the c. 1815 Rogers-Martin-Taylor House, and a c. 1820 brick detached kitchen is thought to be a rare survivor. Later buildings show a broad run of styles: Greek Revival houses of the 1840s and 1860s, Italianate and Queen Anne houses, Foursquares, bungalows, and 1920s period revival homes. Several were designed by local architect J. W. Hopper, including his own Tudor Revival house and the Colonial Revival Millner-Barker House of 1928. The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, built in 1844, is the oldest church building in continuous use in Eden. The boundaries enclose the largest cluster of Leaksville's oldest surviving homes, and most later intrusions are modest in effect.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the district as the largest concentration of Leaksville's oldest surviving residences, with a wide range of architectural styles from antebellum Greek Revival to 1930s period revival. Its fabric dates mainly from the 1850s to c. 1935. The form also notes work by local architect J. W. Hopper.
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 86003376, listed December 9, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Lindsay, Monroe, Jay, Washington, & Kemp Sts., Eden |
|---|---|
| County | Rockingham County |
| Listed | December 9, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003376 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | J. W. (James W.) Hopper, local architect (designed several houses in the district) |
| Architectural style | Varied: vernacular I-houses, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Foursquare, bungalow, Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Dutch Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The district is almost entirely residential and occupied, with one church and three former houses now in commercial or office use. The former Leaksville Hospital is now apartments. |
| Acreage | 54.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.49201, -79.76785 (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 86003376.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19871951
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.