Nance-Major House and Store
Also known as: 018-0078
Why it's listed
Facing the old Charles City courthouse across a narrow road, this complex pairs a frame house of about 1869 with a two-story general store built around 1872. The house, built by Benjamin Albert Nance, is a gable-fronted dwelling with Greek Revival details unusual in the county, a two-story porch and a side-hall plan. Several outbuildings stand behind, including a smokehouse, grain barn, tool shed and garage. The store operated from 1874 until 1963 and was considered the best known and most prosperous in the county. Beyond selling dry goods, tools and farm supplies, it cashed checks, issued money orders, supplied food on credit to needy residents for the county, housed the post office and a public telephone, and sold caskets. Locals gathered on its porch to watch auctions and other courthouse events. Inside, original shelving, a pot-bellied stove and stock from 1963 survive, giving the property a high degree of integrity.
Significance in brief: The store served as a commercial, social and quasi-governmental hub beside the courthouse from 1874 to 1963, handling credit, money orders, post office and welfare-type services. The Greek Revival house has design elements unusual in the county, and the store is a well-preserved, increasingly rare example of a late-nineteenth-century rural general store.
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 06000707, listed August 16, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10811 Courthouse Rd., Charles City |
|---|---|
| County | Charles City County |
| Listed | August 16, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000707 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1869-1956 |
| Architect / builder | Benjamin Albert Nance; Edward and Julia Nance-Major |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th century Greek Revival (dwelling); Mid-19th century vernacular (store) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Social History, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house remains a residence; the store closed in 1963 and its current function is listed as vacant, with shelves still stocked with mid-twentieth-century merchandise. |
| Acreage | 7.7 |
| Coordinates | 37.34457, -77.07283 (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 06000707.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712937
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.