Beaver Dam
Why it's listed
Beaver Dam is a farmhouse and former plantation seat in eastern Wake County, North Carolina, built about 1810 for William Hinton on a knoll above SR 2049. Its two stories follow a hall-and-parlor plan with two rear shed rooms, double-shouldered brick chimneys laid in Flemish bond, beaded weatherboard siding and nine-over-nine sash windows. Inside, raised-panel wainscot, simple Federal mantels, oversized six-panel doors on H and L hinges and the original stair survive. Only the rear shed rooms, a bath and a kitchen ell reflect later household needs. The plantation once covered about 4,000 acres under the Hinton family and later passed through the Seawell, Dunn, Nowell, Jeffreys and other owners, always as a working farm. The surrounding land now holds early twentieth-century barns and tobacco barns, plus an early detached kitchen. The house was listed as an unspoiled vernacular example of its period in a county that is quickly urbanizing.
Significance in brief: The house was the seat of a plantation of about 4,000 acres in the first half of the 19th century and kept operating as a farm into the 20th century. It is a good vernacular interpretation of Georgian-Federal transitional design and keeps most of its original interior and exterior finish. It is also one of a small number of plantations left in rapidly urbanizing Wake County.
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 86003529, listed January 6, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SR 2049 at SR 2233, Knightdale |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | January 6, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003529 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built for William Hinton between about 1807 and 1810) |
| Architectural style | Georgian-Federal transitional vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in excellent condition, on its original site, with some alterations; used as a private residence and for agriculture. |
| Acreage | 86.1 |
| Coordinates | 35.81177, -78.48480 (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 86003529.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4878054
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.