Howard-Royal House
Why it's listed
Built in 1892 by Salemburg businessman A. Frank Howard, this house at 202 North Main Street stands at the edge of the town's commercial section. Its front block is two stories and one room deep, with a strictly symmetrical facade: a central two-tier porch flanked by bay windows, each capped with its own gable. Behind it sits an earlier three-room T-plan house that was enlarged and joined to the new section. Inside, the center hall and parlors are covered in beaded tongue-and-groove sheathing laid in diagonal and vertical patterns, with sawtooth strips at the cornices, ceilings and mantels. The nomination calls this one of the county's finest examples of the technique. Anderson Royal bought the house in the early twentieth century, and his family used it as a residence, occasionally boarding students from Salem Academy. His son later owned it. An antique shop occupied it until shortly before listing, and it was then vacant. Possible archaeological remains on the lot were also noted.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house adapts the county's rural two-story, single-pile form into an unusually symmetrical town residence with a triple-gabled front. Its interior has some of the county's finest decorative beaded tongue-and-groove sheathing with sawtooth ornament. It is also tied to Salemburg's growth around Salem Academy and to two prominent local families, and it may hold archaeological information.
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 86000561, listed March 17, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 202 N. Main St., Salemburg |
|---|---|
| County | Sampson County |
| Listed | March 17, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000561 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1892 |
| Architect / builder | A. Frank Howard (builder, per the description); architect listed as Unknown |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recently vacated after use as an antique shop; described as vacant, in excellent condition and well maintained by the owner's family. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.01645, -78.50317 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 86000561.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19880372
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.