Owen Family House and Cemetery
Why it's listed
This farm in central Sampson County, near McDaniels, holds three houses built at different times, a brick potato house and a family cemetery. The oldest house is a one-room log dwelling from around 1800, now covered in weatherboarding and moved to the southeast side of the house lot. Behind the main house is a large early-19th-century coastal cottage with Flemish bond brick chimney, wide beaded board walls and a segmentally arched firebox. In front of it, Edmund B. Owen added a one-story Greek Revival block around 1850, with a gable-front porch, Doric pillars and a notable eight-panel door. Together the houses show how middle-level farmhouses changed in the county during the first half of the 19th century. The Flemish bond potato house is a rare surviving brick outbuilding. The cemetery holds about fifteen marked graves, including those of Rev. John Owen and his family. Owen amassed more than 1,200 acres, of which about 400 are nominated. The main house has long been rented to farm tenants.
Significance in brief: The three houses together show the successive forms of middle-level rural domestic architecture in Sampson County during the first half of the 19th century. The Flemish bond brick potato house is described as the most significant outbuilding in the county, and Flemish bond is rare there. The property is also tied to the county's agricultural life from about 1800 to the mid-19th century.
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 86000573, listed March 17, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SR 1212 N of SR 1214, McDaniels |
|---|---|
| County | Sampson County |
| Listed | March 17, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000573 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal and coastal cottage forms |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is rated fair. The main house is maintained for farm tenants. The log house has suffered from neglect, vandalism and salvage. |
| Acreage | 400 |
| Coordinates | 34.89850, -78.45070 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 86000573.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987435
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.