Royal-Crumpler-Parker House
Why it's listed
Built around 1918 on Sunset Avenue in Clinton, this one-story frame house is considered the finest and most intact Bungalow in Clinton and Sampson County. Local contractor Hardy Royal built it as his own home but lost it to financial reverses in the 1920s. Edward L. Crumpler, a farmer and later Clinton businessman, bought it in 1923 or 1924, and it passed to his son, a Rocky Mount physician, who sold it in 1955. The house has a broad front gable, a wraparound porch with curved posts on tall brick pedestals, shingled gables with large brackets, and windows with diamond-paned upper sashes. An octagonal greenhouse sits at one end of the porch. Inside are a beamed ceiling in the front parlor and simple woodwork. It was built as Clinton expanded between 1910 and the late 1920s, and it shows what the Bungalow style could achieve in middle and upper level housing.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the finest and most intact Bungalow-style house in Clinton and Sampson County. It reflects Clinton's growth from 1910 to the late 1920s, when new neighborhoods such as Sunset Avenue opened. It is also described as one of the earliest and finest examples of the style in a town with many 1910s and 1920s Bungalows.
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 86000578, listed March 17, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 512 Sunset Ave., Clinton |
|---|---|
| County | Sampson County |
| Listed | March 17, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000578 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca 1918 |
| Architect / builder | Hardy Royal |
| Architectural style | Bungalow |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and occupied as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 34.99770, -78.33148 (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 86000578.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24041339
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.