McPhail, Jonas, House and McPhail, Annie, Store
Why it's listed
Near the small community of Rosin in northern Sampson County stands a late 1890s farmhouse built by Jonas McPhail, along with the general store run by his wife, Annie Warren McPhail. The one-story weatherboard house carries an elaborate porch with turned posts, sawn scrolls and acorn pendant brackets, a bracketed octagonal bay window, and a distinctive gable vent. Inside, the hall and front rooms have tall dado boards, molded surrounds and inventive vernacular mantels. A smokehouse, chicken coops and a four-stall barn also survive. The two-story frame store, now vacant, kept much of its interior shelving. Rosin Hill, originally settled around 1820, was a center of naval stores and rosin production, and the McPhails were leading citizens there. Jonas served as postmaster and county commissioner, while Annie managed the store through a 1921 fire and the Depression. The house is regarded as the county's best example of Victorian ornament applied to a traditional rural dwelling, and the pair are among the few reminders of Rosin Hill.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as the county's finest example of a traditional one-story rural house richly decorated with applied Victorian millwork. The house and store are also tied to Rosin Hill, a prosperous rosin-producing crossroads in the late 19th century. The nomination also notes potential to yield information on rural, agricultural and naval stores history.
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 86000571, listed March 17, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | US 13 E of SR 1845, Rosin |
|---|---|
| County | Sampson County |
| Listed | March 17, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000571 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Victorian one-story farmhouse with applied turned and sawn ornamentation |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The store is described as vacant; the house is described as owned and its condition as good. Several frame outbuildings survive, one chicken coop is quite deteriorated. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 35.37238, -78.41584 (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 86000571.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987071
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.