Perry Farm
Also known as: Wake County,NC survey site #Wa 1941
Why it's listed
Set on the south side of Riley Hill Road in rural southeast Wake County, the Perry Farm centers on a two-story frame house dated c. 1820 in a transitional Georgian-Federal style, with a hall-and-parlor plan and interior woodwork that the nomination describes as largely unaltered. John Perry bought the 496-acre tract in 1835 and owned it until his death in 1852. Around it stand a smokehouse, a log double-crib barn, a livestock barn, a corn crib, a tobacco building and a well house, dating from the antebellum period through the early twentieth century. Enslaved workers on the property included Feggins Perry, who after emancipation rented and then acquired land nearby. His son Guyon Perry bought the house and fifty-three acres in 1914. Guyon and his wife Eliza were leaders in Riley Hill Baptist Church, and Guyon served the church as superintendent for thirty-five years. The farm is regarded as an unusually complete example of a Southern farm's domestic core.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is significant for its architecture, as an unusually complete and representative ensemble of a farm's domestic core, and for ethnic heritage and social history. It was owned for over seventy-five years by a prominent Black family whose progenitors were enslaved on the property, and the family's members were active in local church, education and civic life.
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 94001025, listed August 26, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NC 2320 S side, E of jct. with NC 2300, Riley Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | August 26, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001025 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1820-1944 |
| Architectural style | Transitional Georgian-Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Social History, Black, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is occupied by the family; the kitchen is used occasionally for canning and large cooking, and the outbuildings are in use for storage and sheltering animals. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 35.85216, -78.40215 (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 94001025.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7169775
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.