1625 Old Crews Rd
Knightdale, NC, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Midway Plantation House and Outbuildings (Wake County MPS)

Statement of Significance:

Midway Plantation was the last of the many Hinton family plantations established in eastern Wake County. Midway was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1970 in the area of History. In the summer of 2005, the house and all the surviving outbuildings at Midway Plantation were moved to a ten-acre tract approximately two miles northeast of the original location, on land historically part of Midway Plantation. In their new location, the Midway Plantation House and Outbuildings meet NRHP Criterion C in the area of Architecture. The house is a finely rendered Greek Revival antebellum planter's home in Wake County, with molding derived from plates published in Asher Benjamin's 1830 pattern book, Practical House Carpenter. The outbuildings, which date from the early to mid-nineteenth century, are excellent examples of supporting structures to a plantation household. Some feature Greek Revival details; others are more strictly utilitarian in appearance. The house and outbuildings meet Criteria Consideration B for moved properties that retain integrity and derive their significance primarily from their architectural value. The period of significance extends from ca. 1820, the approximate construction date for the three early outbuildings, to ca. 1880, the date by which the re-design of the interior of the one-story side addition was completed. A large barn at the back of the complex is not historically associated with Midway and is a noncontributing building at the site. Context 1, "British and Africans Shape an Agrarian Society (Colonial Period to 1860)," and Context 2, "Civil War, Reconstruction, and A shift to Commercial Agriculture (1861 to 1885)" in "Historic and Architectural Resources of Wake County, North Carolina, Ca. 1770-1941" (MPDF) provide historic context for the construction of the Midway Plantation House and Outbuildings. The locally significant Midway Plantation House and Outbuildings fall under Property Type 1A, "Farm Complexes: Colonial Period to 1865," which provides their architectural context. The house also falls under Property Types 3A, "Houses Built from the Colonial Period to the Civil War Era (ca. 1770-1865)" and 3B, "Houses Built Between the Civil War and World War I (1865-ca. 1918)." Houses in Wake County are significant as reflections of the architectural trends that reached the county and the choices and adaptations that people made in terms of architectural design and style. Similarly, the outbuildings also fall under Property Type 2, "Outbuildings," which provides their architectural context. The property meets the registration requirements for the three property types as outlined on page F-117 for farm complexes, page F-124 for outbuildings, and pages F-141-142 for houses. Additional historical information specific to the Midway Plantation House and Outbuildings is included herein.