Black Creek Rural Historic District
Why it's listed
Five farmhouses and their outbuildings make up this rural district in southern Wilson County, close to the meeting of Contentnea Creek and Black Creek. The houses date from about 1787 to about 1855. The earliest is the Dickinson House, a plain one-story Georgian cottage with some of the best-preserved Georgian woodwork in the county. Nearby are the Greek Revival Dr. Brooks House and two coastal cottages, the John Woodard House with a fine Federal interior and the Stephen Woodard House. The Dr. Stephen Woodard House, a Greek Revival I-house, completes the group. Tobacco barns, packhouses, tenant houses and a 1920s rural school record later farm life. The group was listed as a rare survival of antebellum architecture in Wilson County. It is also tied to the Simms and Woodard families, major landholders in Black Creek township, and to Dr. Alexander Brooks, a longtime county commissioner.
Significance in brief: The five houses are a rare surviving group of antebellum architecture in Wilson County. They include the Dickinson House, a c. 1787 Georgian cottage that may be the oldest building in the county and is its only documented intact Georgian cottage. The houses are also tied to two leading landholding families, the Simmses and the Woodards, and to Dr. Brooks, a prominent county official.
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 86001659, listed October 14, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Along NC 1628, Black Creek |
|---|---|
| County | Wilson County |
| Listed | October 14, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001659 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 through 1800-1899 (houses dated c. 1787 to c. 1855, with outbuildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries) |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Georgian cottage, coastal cottage with Federal detailing, and Greek Revival I-houses |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked occupied and in private ownership, in fair condition and altered. Used for agriculture and as private residences. Some houses have long been occupied by tenants. |
| Acreage | 860 |
| Coordinates | 35.61839, -77.88996 (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 86001659.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20708950
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.