Cundiff, C. C., House
Why it's listed
Set on a hill above the Yadkin River bottomlands near Siloam, this two-story brick farmhouse with a low hipped roof was probably built soon after a Civil War fire in 1865 destroyed an earlier house on the property. It may incorporate parts of that earlier building. Two brick sections, laid in five-to-one and six-to-one common bond, are joined by a passage, and each first-floor room opens onto a full-length porch with chamfered posts and sawnwork brackets. The plan is unlike any other in the county, and the house is one of only three surviving pre-1900 rural masonry dwellings in Surry County. Farmer C. C. Cundiff built it. His son William Milton Cundiff later became a merchant, principal of Siloam Academy, county school superintendent and Board of Education member. In 1949 the property passed to the Hardy family, prominent tobacco growers. Outbuildings and a stone-walled family cemetery remain, and the house now shelters farm workers.
Significance in brief: It is one of only three surviving pre-1900 rural masonry houses in Surry County and has an unusual plan not found elsewhere in the county. It is also tied to Surry County's tobacco economy and to William Milton Cundiff, an educator who helped shape the county's public school system.
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 83001918, listed July 21, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SR 2230, Siloam |
|---|---|
| County | Surry County |
| Listed | July 21, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001918 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1865 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Greek Revival with later Victorian details |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by farm workers and described as remaining in good repair; the house sits on part of a large working farm. |
| Acreage | 9.8 |
| Coordinates | 36.28381, -80.58656 (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 83001918.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19902172
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.