Jones, Nancy, House
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Why it's listed
Set among shade trees and pasture west of Cary, this two-story frame house was built around 1803 and served for decades as the main stagecoach stop and tavern between Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Nancy Jones ran the stop for years, mostly serving a midday meal to travelers. The house sat at the center of a 2,000-acre estate belonging to her husband, Henry Jones, and was a landmark for miles. Local tradition places an 1838 exchange between the governors of North Carolina and South Carolina here, producing a well-known quip about the long time between drinks. President James K. Polk and his party also stopped for a meal in 1847. Architecturally, the house is a vernacular Federal hall-parlor design with a rear shed, a double-tiered front portico, six-panel doors, paneled wainscot and reeded mantels. Later additions and siding have changed parts of it, but the original section remains largely intact.
Significance in brief: The house was the main stagecoach stop and tavern on the Raleigh-Chapel Hill route in the antebellum period, operated by Nancy Jones. It is tied by legend to the 1838 "damn long time between drinks" remark and hosted President James K. Polk in 1847. It is also a well-executed vernacular Federal hall-parlor house with rear shed rooms and intact early finish.
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 84002540, listed March 1, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NC 54, Cary |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | March 1, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002540 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Federal |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition, altered, on its original site, and occupied as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 35.79960, -78.80286 (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 84002540.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20065312
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.