Lawrence, Calvin Wray, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1890 on a rise at the end of Ragan Road in southwest Wake County, this two-story, three-bay farmhouse follows the center-hall I-house plan with a triple-A roof, a form common in rural Wake County at the turn of the century. Calvin Wray "Callie" Lawrence, a farmer, and his wife Cathie Ann lived here, and the family held the property until 1993. The house is noted for late Victorian woodwork, including a full-length front porch with turned, bracketed posts, paired round-arch gable vents, and interior finishes of pine. Its three mantelpieces, uncommon five-panel doors and decorative graining, much of it original, survive largely intact. Three early-twentieth-century outbuildings stand nearby: a well house, a storage barn and an outhouse. A 1997 rear addition is sensitively placed. The setting of cleared ground, boxwood hedges and hardwood trees has also been kept largely unchanged.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is locally significant under Criterion C for architecture as a largely intact example of a triple-A I-house with Victorian woodwork, decorative graining and outbuildings associated with rural farming prosperity. Its interior finishes, unusual panel doors and mantelpieces are presented as rare survivals in a modest farmhouse.
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 08000937, listed September 23, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 8528 Ragan Rd., Apex |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | September 23, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000937 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1890 |
| Architectural style | Triple-A I-house with Victorian details |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored by present owners after 1993 purchase; a two-story rear addition was built in 1997. |
| Acreage | 6.7 |
| Coordinates | 35.71880, -78.93970 (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 08000937.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19986742
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.