Cleveland, Robert, Log House
Why it's listed
Near Purlear in Wilkes County, North Carolina, this two-pen log house was probably built around 1780 by Captain Robert Cleveland, who had moved from Virginia and settled near the Yadkin River. The hewn logs are joined with splayed dovetails, and a wide roof overhang shelters the joints from rain. Two equal rooms are divided by a log partition, with a loft above and large fieldstone chimneys at each gable. Cleveland served as a company captain in his brother Benjamin's regiment at the Battle of Kings Mountain. His 1812 will left the plantation and his still to his son Presley, who sold the property in 1823 to John Yates. The Yates family held the house for more than a century before Winfield S. Fletcher bought it in 1930 out of interest in its history. The nomination describes it as probably the oldest dwelling in the county and an important example of early pioneer log building.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it probably the oldest dwelling in Wilkes County and the home of a well-known Revolutionary soldier who served under his brother Benjamin Cleveland at Kings Mountain. Architecturally, it is described as an extremely important example of early two-pen log construction built by eighteenth-century pioneers in the western mountains.
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 72001003, listed February 1, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E of Purlear near jct. of SR 1300 and 1317, Purlear |
|---|---|
| County | Wilkes County |
| Listed | February 1, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001003 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century |
| Architect / builder | Captain Robert Cleveland (probable builder) |
| Architectural style | Two-pen log dwelling |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair, unaltered, on its original site; marked unoccupied and used as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | Downtown Wilkesboro Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.14847, -81.15126 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 72001003.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20708798
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.