Elkins, Nettie, House
Also known as: Site No. 189
Why it's listed
Built around 1918 for Mrs. Nettie Elkins, this one-story frame house at 109 East Alabama Street in Wharton faces south in a neighborhood of houses of similar age. A large pyramidal roof with asphalt shingles covers a square, box-like frame set on brick piers and clad in weatherboard. A full-width open porch with three tapered box columns dominates the front, and the windows are two-over-two wooden double-hung sashes. The house is recognized as the best surviving example in Wharton of the pyramid-roof house in its most basic form. Sanborn maps show a frame building on the site by 1919, which supports the estimated construction date. It was built during a slow period of city growth, and its traditional form was probably easy and inexpensive to obtain from local builders. Such houses were common in hot Southern regions, with light framing, a prominent porch and flexible room layouts. The house remains in excellent condition and is still a single-family dwelling.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the best surviving example in Wharton of the pyramid-roof house in its most basic form. It reflects modest folk housing designed for the hot Southern climate and built during a slow period of the city's growth. It meets Criterion C in architecture within the context of community development in Wharton, 1875-1942.
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 93000114, listed March 18, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 109 E. Alabama, Wharton |
|---|---|
| County | Wharton County |
| Listed | March 18, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000114 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1918 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other: Pyramid-roof house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Retains its integrity and is in excellent condition; still used as a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.31394, -96.09830 (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 93000114.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002530
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.