Wilson-Vines House
Also known as: Roby Vines House
Why it's listed
Built around 1895 for Leonard C. Wilson and his wife Julia, this farmhouse sits on 16.8 acres in the Beaver Dam area of Watauga County, North Carolina, roughly nine miles northwest of Boone. It is a two and a half-story, L-plan frame house with a metal gable roof, clapboard and German siding, and a three-quarters width, two-story porch with scroll-sawn balustrades and Queen Anne millwork. Inside, the four-room central-hall plan survives, along with beaded board walls, wide plank floors and original fireplaces. The builder is unknown. Wilson farmed and later served as a Baptist minister and teacher. William Roby Vines bought the farm in 1922 and held it for decades. The house was listed for its architecture, as a well-preserved example of a Victorian dwelling that is increasingly rare in the county. Its open fields, mountain surroundings and lack of later intrusions reinforce the late nineteenth-century rural character. A circa 1900 outbuilding and a circa 1950 barn are noncontributing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent, highly intact example of a traditional Victorian dwelling in Watauga County, a type becoming rare there. Its two-story porch with Queen Anne millwork and gable ornamentation adds high-style elements to an otherwise plain, common building form. The rural setting also retains its agricultural character.
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 97001562, listed December 22, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4300 Rush Branch Rd., Beaver Dam |
|---|---|
| County | Watauga County |
| Listed | December 22, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97001562 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1895 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne; Other: L-plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still a single dwelling in residential use; interior modernization took place between 1995 and 1997 while the original floor plan was kept. |
| Acreage | 16.8 |
| Coordinates | 36.29217, -81.84925 (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 97001562.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24041343
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.