Rare Historic House - History & Stories - Restoration Opportunity

If you love history, and the stories that come with it....this historic home in Linwood, North Carolina has one of the more wonderful tales to tell!  

Realtor® Greg Rapp with Salisbury Real Estate LLC, working in partnership with Preservation North Carolina, is so excited to present this fascinating opportunity to rehabilitate and restore an important part of Davidson County's early history. 'Beallmont' ~ or The Moore-Beall House (per the National Register of Historic Places) is a remarkable circa 1840s (and older!) 2-story Federal-to-Greek Revival style home that originally sat at the crest of a gentle open rise of land near the Yadkin River in south Davidson County. 

But there is more to the story: The home is colloquially referred to as an 1840s home, however, 1840 is the remodel date: The original small two-story frame house was built in the late eighteenth century. In 1840, the then-owner transformed the house by combining the log home and the original wood frame home into the fashionable picturesque villa, the remnants of which we see today.

The home was moved to its current location on the 2.5+ acre property across the road in 2016. While set on a new foundation and stabilized, the chimneys were lost in the move, and the home needs a massive amount of work. 

 

The main structure is a two-story hall-and-parlor house of Federal design, reminiscent of early American plan book cottages. The details of the 1840s 'remodel' transformed the house into an approximation of Andrew Jackson Downing's "cottage" style. 

The original two-story frame house was built by the original 1763 land-grant holder (from King Charles II) in the late eighteenth century or early nineteenth century. A two-story log addition was built on in the early 1800s (you can see the log walls through a doorway where the wall sheathing has deteriorated). Burgess Lamar Beall, a prominent physician and politician, transformed the house into a fashionable picturesque villa in the late 1840s.  

What we see today is the 1840s rebuild and a rare example of the early nineteenth-century Davidson County domestic architectural configuration and detailing, yet overlaid with stylish details reflecting the picturesque movement. 

The main entrance, in the east bay of the facade, and the two floor-length nine-over-nine sash windows are sheltered by the full facade porch. The porch's hip roof has an arched ceiling resembling a parasol. The flush wall sheathing sets off the ornate symmetrically molded surrounds with corner blocks. The double raised-panel front doors are flanked by elaborate sidelights with elegantly contrasting wide and narrow panes of glass. The 1840s 'remodel' included wide latticework posts with delicate sawn-work brackets, none of which remain. 

Beallmont boasts floor-length nine-over-nine sash windows and a large bay window off the east side wall. The floor-length paired windows on each side are protected by functional louvered shutters.  All other openings, except for the twentieth-century alterations, have simple Federal surrounds, six-over-six sash, and flat-paneled doors of the Federal style.  The side wing was added during the picturesque villa remodeling and featured latticework in its day. The one-bay wide porch was added in the twentieth century.

The first floor contained a hall, a parlor, a dining room, a "private passage below," a "lower bedroom," and a "back Piazza." In addition, the second floor contained an upper passage, a "large upper room," a "small bedroom," and "Aunt Mary's Room." The l840s remodeling was concentrated in the hall, parlor, dining room, stair and stair passages, and the large upper room. Here are found symmetrically molded surrounds with ornate corner blocks similar to those of the porch facade, high molded baseboards, and bold mantels of Greek Revival designs. 

The open-string stair has strongly curved stair brackets, a lovely flat-paneled wall enclosing the closet beneath the stair, and a gracefully ramped handrail with slender balusters (from the National Register of Historic Places / The Moore-Beall House). What we love about the upper story: The staircase splits off in one direction to the front rooms, and splits again to the rear large room that could accommodate a wonderful primary suite with space for an upper full bath. (There are currently no bathrooms in the home.)

The present small central portico is a twentieth-century replacement. The two-story rear wing of log construction and the one-story frame rear wing have similar but not identical Federal window and door treatment. Both wings were, according to family tradition, originally Federal period free-standing buildings which were later incorporated into the main structure. The entire structure is covered with plain weatherboard. The three tall brick chimneys that had been of mid-nineteenth century vintage were demolished in the house move: two were located on the interior and one on the exterior. 

The only other significant alterations on the exterior were the enclosure of the rear wrap-around porch in the mid-twentieth century. The original kitchen was a separate stand-alone 2-story brick building located behind the house at the home's original location and demolished in 1913. The current galley kitchen is located in the porch enclosure portion.

The stand-alone building behind the house, on its own foundation, might have been the early physician's quarters and shop.  It was originally attached to the house via an L-shaped porch that served as connection between the two structures. Preservation NC desires this structure to be reconnected to the house.

1567 Belmont Road is located on 2.58 acres and overlooks a large pond with deeded access. The property is partially clear and partially wooded. There is a small spring on the property where one of the original structures may have been located. 

The surrounding land, 123 acres adjacent to and behind the house, is subject to a conservation easement held by the Three Rivers Land Trust, ensuring that the surrounding property will always be used for agriculture or forestry.

'Beallmont' at 1567 Belmont Road is a RESTORATION project at its very heart, calling for a historic preservation enthusiast! While many of the original features are intact including much of its original millwork & windows, the house requires comprehensive rehabilitation including additional structural repairs, a connection to the rear section of the house, installation of all systems, new bathrooms and kitchen, and reconstruction of three brick chimney stacks that will host the six individual fireplaces throughout the home.

 

The property needs a driveway, a septic system, full plumbing and electricity, and all mechanicals. Historic Covenants & Deed restrictions are in place and will guide and protect the restoration process. Proof of funds for partial rehab (250K) is required by Preservation NC. 

The visible architectural evolution of the structure and continuous voluminous historical records make Beallmont one of the best-documented early houses in Davidson County. We know restoration projects of this nature are not for everyone.  But the true preservationist will relish this opportunity to renew the Moore-Beall House and return it to the landmark treasure it deserves to be!  So ~ you know who you are ~ let's roll up your sleeves and get to work!

Greg Rapp and Salisbury Real Estate LLC are pleased to partner with Preservation NC Inc. to bring this fabulous restoration opportunity to the market!  Call Greg at 704.213.6846 to see this amazing piece of history!

 
1567 Belmont Road
Linwood, North Carolina 27299
Davidson County
2,422 square feet
Lot Size: 2.584 acres

Zoning: Residential
MLS#4185269

$69,000