Avera, Dr. Thomas H., House
Also known as: Avera--Winston House; Avera, William H. House
Why it's listed
Northwest of Wendell, in the community once known as Eagle Rock, stands a two-story, T-shaped frame house built around 1874 for Dr. Thomas H. Avera, a physician who served as a Confederate surgeon. Its steep gables carry decorative M-shaped trusses, and the windows have flat hoods. The front door has tracery sidelights and a transom. A porch with chamfered posts, paneled plinths and a turned balustrade shows Italianate styling. Inside, a center-hall plan holds plaster ceiling medallions, deep crown moldings and doors and mantels painted to imitate oak grain. The architect is unknown; a Raleigh designer named Appleget and a Mr. Mosely were both suggested. The house is judged locally significant because few rural Wake County houses blend Gothic Revival and Italianate styles so well. Original weatherboarded smokehouse, dairy and privy with modillioned eaves survive nearby. A family cemetery and an earlier Federal-style house from about 1820 also remain on the property.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C for architecture as a rare and refined rural Wake County example blending Gothic Revival and Italianate styles. Steep gables with M-shaped trusses and Gothic-style window hoods and door surrounds combine with an Italianate porch and high-style interior finishes, including decorative wood-grain painting.
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 03000928, listed September 11, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6600 Robertson Pond Rd., Wendell |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | September 11, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000928 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1874 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Gothic; Italianate (Italianate with Gothic Revival influences) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The main house remains a single-family dwelling in the owner family's hands. The earlier William W. Avera House, built around 1820, is deteriorated, and the doctor's office burned in the 1940s, leaving only a chimney. |
| Acreage | 5.1 |
| Coordinates | 35.81882, -78.40269 (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 03000928.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5304440
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.