Walker, T.C., House
Why it's listed
This two-story frame house on a hill at the edge of the Gloucester Court House business district was built around 1880 and has no recorded builder. It is a vernacular building with traces of Greek Revival and Gothic Revival styles, three intersecting gables, a central hall plan, and walls now covered in asbestos shingles added around 1955. A steel windmill from the 1920s stands beside it, and an archeological survey found evidence of an 18th-century household on the site. The house matters because of Thomas Calhoun Walker, who acquired it in 1900 and lived there until his death in 1953. Born enslaved in 1862 and educated at Hampton Institute, Walker became the first African American lawyer in Gloucester County. He worked to expand Black land ownership and school construction, served on the county Board of Supervisors, and held federal and state appointments. His daughters inherited the house, and it was donated to Hampton University in 1977. It is now mothballed in poor condition.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to Thomas Calhoun Walker, born enslaved in 1862, who became Gloucester County's first African American lawyer. He acquired the house in 1900 and used it as his base for work in education, land ownership, law and politics. The nomination argues significance at the state level under Criterion B in Education, Ethnic Heritage, Law and Politics/Government.
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 09001050, listed December 4, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1 Main St., Gloucester |
|---|---|
| County | Gloucester County |
| Listed | December 4, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09001050 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1900-1953 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Black, Law, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in poor condition and mothballed; current function listed as work in progress. The property was donated to Hampton University in 1977. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Within district | Gloucester Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.41317, -76.52186 (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 09001050.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713283
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.