Purefoy-Dunn Plantation (Boundary Decrease)
Why it's listed
Located on the east side of U.S. Highway 1 southwest of Wake Forest in Wake County, North Carolina, the Purefoy-Dunn Plantation centers on a two-story frame farm house in the Greek Revival style and a mid-nineteenth century smokehouse. The house sits on a parcel of about 81.8 acres in the southern part of the former 185-acre property. The plantation was associated with John Purefoy, a founder and member of the first board of trustees of Wake Forest College, and the property was recognized for its ties to education and for its architecture, with a period of significance running from about 1814 to about 1850. This boundary decrease removes the three tracts north of the house. Those tracts, once several cleared fields and woodland, have been logged and graded, and a large apartment complex is under construction on them, so they no longer retain the qualities that made the rest of the property historically important. A separate wooded parcel also left the boundary because it is cut off from the house tract and is proposed for development.
Significance in brief: The original listing was made under Criteria B and C for local significance in education and architecture, and for its association with John Purefoy, a founder and member of the first board of trustees of Wake Forest College. The period of significance is circa 1814 to circa 1850. This boundary decrease removes three tracts north of the house that have lost integrity through logging, grading and apartment construction, along with a separated tract proposed for development.
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 97000788, listed July 25, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E side of US 1, 0.3 mi. N of US 1A, Wake Forest |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | July 25, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000788 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1814-1850 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Tracts north of the farm house have been logged and are under construction as an apartment complex; the house tract remains with the plantation house. |
| Acreage | 103.7 |
| Within district | Purefoy-Dunn Plantation |
| Coordinates | 35.96075, -78.53892 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 97000788.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.