Hoskins House Historic Structure Report - Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Wiss Janney Elstner Associates, Inc.

The purpose of this Historic Structure Report (HSR) is to document the historic context, the development, uses, and current conditions of the Hoskins House at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. The National Park Service will use this report to inform and guide the stewardship of this historic structure. The scope of work prescribed for this HSR specifies that documentary research be limited to the park’s records. The Hoskins House Historic District, including the house as a contributing structure, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The house was also included as a contributing structure in the National Historic Landmark documentation prepared for the battlefield in 1999. Although the date of the house was not accurately known at the time the National Register nomination and National Historic Landmark documentation were prepared, the findings of this study indicate that the Hoskins House is significant under National Register Criterion C, as an example of a local vernacular house type dating to the early 1810s, and retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance. As such, treatment and use of the Hoskins House should be considered within the context of the legal mandates and policy directives established by National Park Service Cultural Resources Management Guideline (Director’s Order 28) for the protection of cultural resources. Findings The building is generally in fair condition, with repairs required to address weathering-related deterioration. Repair needs are related to deterioration of exterior wood cladding, windows and doors, and wood shingle roofing. These distress conditions largely affect non-historic replica materials and can be addressed with localized replacement using compatible new wood components. The existing configuration of the house includes a number of conjectural or inaccurate elements that date to the 1980s restoration and repairs in the early part of this century. In the long-term, additional restoration to more closely match the nineteenth century appearance of the building, to the extent documentation is available, is desirable.

Hoskins House Historic Structure Report - Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

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