Heartsfield-Perry Farm
Why it's listed
Near Rolesville in northeastern Wake County, this 22-acre farm sits on a knoll among mature oaks and preserves the core of a much larger plantation once owned by the Heartsfield family. The house began in the 1790s as a one-room dwelling with a loft, was enlarged into a central-passage plan in the early nineteenth century, and was remodeled around 1840 with a low hip roof, cut granite chimneys, a two-tier Greek Revival porch and new doors and mantels. Andrew Heartsfield, a mill builder and Methodist minister, assembled the land. His son Dr. Wesley Heartsfield, a physician, expanded the plantation, and his c. 1840 office still stands. Surrounding the house are a detached kitchen, well, smokehouse, log mule barn, feed barn, privy, cemetery and tobacco-era barns. Together they show how the farm worked from the early nineteenth century through twentieth-century tobacco cultivation, and the property retains a high degree of integrity.
Significance in brief: The farm is tied to the Heartsfield family, whose patriarch Andrew Heartsfield was a landowner, mill builder and Methodist minister, and whose son Dr. Wesley Heartsfield ran a large plantation and medical practice. The house shows several building stages, from a one-room dwelling to a Greek Revival update. Its outbuildings, including one of the few surviving rural doctor's offices in Wake County, document farm life from the early 1800s through tobacco cultivation in the 20th century.
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 02001728, listed January 23, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NC 2224, 0.1 mi. SE of NC 2300, Rolesville |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | January 23, 2003 |
| Reference number | 02001728 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Early Republic/Federal; Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival; 19th Century dovetailed plank building |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The form lists current functions of single dwelling and vacant. Outbuildings range from good to poor condition, the mule barn is in poor condition, and the family cemetery is overgrown. |
| Acreage | 22.6 |
| Coordinates | 35.91554, -78.39218 (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 02001728.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5693090
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.