Rock House
Also known as: Martin,John,House
Why it's listed
Rising from a ridge crest above the Sauratown Mountains in Stokes County, this two-story fieldstone ruin is known locally as the Rock House. Tradition ties it to Col. John Martin, who bought 400 acres in 1787 and went on to hold nearly 9,000 acres in the county. The three-bay, rectangular main block has a high raised basement, end chimneys, a central porch of quarried stone and a later rear wing. The roof, floors and trim are gone, though a stone partition suggests a hall-and-parlor plan. Martin served as a Revolutionary War lieutenant, a militia colonel, a county magistrate and a legislator in 1798 and 1799. His estate included at least forty-one enslaved people and more than eighty books. The house is regarded as one of the area's grandest early dwellings. Local accounts say it was ruined by fire or storm in 1897, but this could not be confirmed. Plans called for stabilizing the ruin within a small nature park.
Significance in brief: The ruin is thought to be the remains of one of the area's grandest early houses, built for John Martin, a wealthy landowner, militia colonel and holder of state and county offices. The nomination cites his Revolutionary War service, his political roles and his large library and landholdings. It also notes that much of the ownership story rests on local tradition.
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 75001292, listed October 1, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N of King on SR 1186, King |
|---|---|
| County | Stokes County |
| Listed | October 1, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001292 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Areas of significance | Military, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Ruin, unoccupied; roof and interior finishes are gone, and the ruin was to be stabilized as the centerpiece of a four-acre nature park. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 36.40480, -80.36187 (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 75001292.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19946027
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.