Chambers, Maxwell, House
Why it's listed
Maxwell Chambers House is a two-story weatherboarded Federal town house at 116 South Jackson Street in Salisbury. Land records suggest cabinet maker Lewis Utzman built it between 1814 and 1819, when he sold the lot to Judge James Martin. Later owners included the Reverend Thomas F. Davis, Jr., and merchant Maxwell Chambers, who bought it in 1847 and offered it to the First Presbyterian Church as a manse. It served that purpose until 1913, when it was moved from Innes and Jackson streets to its present location. It later housed a school and a Sunday school, and since 1954 it has been leased to the Rowan Museum, which furnished it and opened it to the public. The house is valued for its interior, which is attributed to builder Jacob Stirewalt: a curving stair with tulip brackets, a carved Federal mantel in the parlor, plaster cornices, and a medallion in the stairwell. The nomination calls it an outstanding Federal town house in piedmont North Carolina.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an outstanding example of a Federal town house in piedmont North Carolina. It shows features attributed to the local master builder Jacob Stirewalt, especially its well-executed mantels and graceful curving stair. The form describes the attribution as based on the finer interior finish and repeated motifs.
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 72000992, listed January 20, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 116 S. Jackson St., Salisbury |
|---|---|
| County | Rowan County |
| Listed | January 20, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000992 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architect / builder | Jacob Stirewalt (attributed); Lewis Utzman, cabinet maker, probably built the house |
| Architectural style | Federal town house |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Leased from 1954 to the Rowan Museum, Inc., which furnished the house and opened it to the public; the form lists it as occupied and in use as a museum. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.66909, -80.47232 (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 72000992.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19986990
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.