McCollum, Reuben Wallace, House
Why it's listed
Built of logs cut and skinned on the family's own land, this one-story log house at 2203 South Scales Street in Reidsville was raised by Reuben Wallace McCollum over several years in the 1920s. The McCollum family moved in during the summer of 1928. It has an H-shaped plan, a mortared quarried-stone foundation, a hipped metal roof and stone chimneys, with stone from the Penn family quarries. The nomination also includes a renovated nineteenth-century log house, where the family lived during construction, and a deteriorated garage. It was listed for its architecture. The house reflects Rockingham County's long practice of building with logs and the wider national enthusiasm for Rustic log construction in the 1920s. A 1937 local newspaper photograph called it an idyllic type of log-cabin farmhouse seen throughout the county. Road construction in the 1990s cut the original farm down to a residual lot of 1.909 acres.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be significant under Criterion C in the area of architecture, at the local level. It reflects Rockingham County's long tradition of log construction and the national interest in Rustic-style log houses in the 1920s. It used logs felled on the family land and stone from the Penn quarries. A 1937 newspaper photograph described it as a typical county log-cabin farmhouse.
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 03000341, listed May 1, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2203 S. Scales St., Reidsville |
|---|---|
| County | Rockingham County |
| Listed | May 1, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000341 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1921-1928 |
| Architect / builder | McCollum, Reuben Wallace - builder |
| Architectural style | Other: Rustic Style; Other: log house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The main house is well preserved and occupied by a caretaker, and it is being considered for sale with preservation covenants. The nineteenth-century log house has stood vacant or used for storage since 1984. The garage/storage building is extremely deteriorated. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.31445, -79.67007 (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 03000341.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987018
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.