c.1847 Beautifully Restored NC Church For Sale w/2.26 Acres $42K ~ Sold

409 S Main St, Woodville, NC 27849

$42,000 ~ Sold for $39,500

OHU50K NOTES

This beautiful c.1847 church for sale can be had for a song, or maybe a hymn.

History

The former St. Frances Methodist Church sits on 2.26 acres in Woodville, North Carolina, a tiny historic village about 40 miles north of Greenville. When I visit my family in NC this summer, I am making it a point to take a day trip to Woodville. According to the National Register of Historic Places, the village consists of 14 principal structures built primarily between 1801 and 1927, including six pre-Civil War houses, three early 20th century Craftsman homes, and two antebellum cemeteries.

The church did not always sit on this lot, but it did begin and end there. It was originally constructed on this piece of land which was donated by Humphrey H. Hardy and named to honor Frances S. Pugh of Woodville, who willed $1,000 for the building’s construction.

I don’t know why, but in 1896, the church was moved by a team of mules to nearby Lewiston but was returned to its original home in 2000.

As with many churches across the country, by the early 1990s church membership had dwindled. Its last congregant, Elizabeth Steinhardt-Widmer, continued to maintain the shuttered church, until she passed away in April 2010 at the age of 103. You will find a plaque at the front entrance of the church calling Elizabeth the “guiding light of St. Frances.”

Architectural Details

The Greek Revival church is a one-story, rectangular frame building, three bays by two bays. It features a projecting narthex (entrance area) and two-story tower topped by an octagonal steeple.

The building, added to the NRHP in 1982, was restored in 2004 by a local contractor, and they did a wonderful job! It features heart pine flooring, its original 20 pews, lovely carvings, working organ and steeple bell, upstairs gallery and velvet altar chairs.

Zoned to allow for a single-family home or commercial uses, a few historical covenants would require the new owner to preserve the most significant characteristics of the structure. Appropriate modernizing can be done to facilitate such use, though. The building has updated electrical, but it is estimated it will take another $4,000 for running water and sewer. Then, of course, a new owner would want to install a bathroom and kitchen.

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0beds
1,351sq ft
2.29acres lot
Build date 1847
Google Map
Property Listing
Realtor: Nancy Winslow with Keller Williams Points East

REALTOR COMMENTS

Church for sale: St. Frances is now available for a home, a church or a list of other uses. (list of zoning options attached). This 1842 historic and totally beautiful former Methodist Church sits on 2 acres of land and includes an old cemetery. Yes, you own the church and you own the cemetery. There are two entrances into the property through the cemetery.

The church has a small vestibule and opens to a large sanctuary and pulpit. The original wooden pews and pulpit furniture are included in the sale along with the working pump organ. There is an additional balcony/loft with additional seating and is accessible from an outside entrance. The original heartpine floors are gorgeous and are just one of the architectural features that give his church more charm than you can imagine.

Central heat (propane) and AC. Town water and sewer are available at the road and can be tapped and connected to the church. There is currently no kitchen, bath or water in the building. You will definitely love it! Historic covenants with Preservation North Carolina are included on the deed. Changes can be made to the property with permission from Pres NC. Make your dreams come true here – wedding venue, start a church, country get-a-way, Air BnB in a church, your next home — whatever your dream — make it happen here.