Woods-Meade House
Also known as: Greer House
Why it's listed
Begun around 1830 on a corner lot near the top of Mount Pleasant in Rocky Mount, this house started as a single-cell brick dwelling on a high basement under a gable roof. Its walls are laid in Flemish bond with a molded brick cornice, gauged-brick jack arches over the basement windows, and unusual half-round brick columns beside the front door. Robert T. Woods was the original owner, and Morrison Meade acquired the property in 1834 and later enlarged it. A remodeling around 1837 joined the front section to a brick kitchen with a frame middle section. Further additions followed, including a two-level gallery, a shed addition, a board-and-batten wing and a Greek Revival porch. The result is a picturesque house of about ten rooms that looks modest from the street. It was listed as an interesting example of vernacular architecture and as one of the few surviving antebellum buildings in Rocky Mount. It has served as a residence through the twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an interesting vernacular structure with sophisticated overtones and a complex evolution. Its original section has distinctive masonry details, and its additions illustrate changing tastes in regional domestic architecture. It is also one of the few antebellum structures left in Rocky Mount and a key local landmark.
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 82004557, listed July 8, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 118 Maple St., Rocky Mount |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin (city and county) |
| Listed | July 8, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004557 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular, with Greek Revival porch and Victorian sawnwork detail |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still serving as a residence; the form lists it as private residence, with condition marked unaltered and original site, and checks both occupied and unoccupied with work in progress. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Rocky Mount Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.99656, -79.88787 (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 82004557.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713562
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.