Barker House (Henderson, NC)

The Barker House was constructed in the early- to mid-nineteenth century, potentially as a tenant house for the larger Barker Farm nearby. It stands on 115 acres and originally had a series of domestic outbuildings and barns. It may have been constructed in three stages as variations in the flooring and chimneys suggest that the two main rooms may have been constructed at different times, though the roof framing is consistent between the two rooms. The rear room and porch were likely added in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. The house was abandoned for a period around the turn-of-the-twentieth-century. It was likely updated with new windows, doors, drywall, and electrical systems when the house was occupied again in the early twentieth-century. The rear porch was likely enclosed and the bathroom and kitchen adjoined to the house in the mid-twentieth century.

The house has been vacant for approximately thirty years and the current owners, descendents of the Barkers, have cleared the area around the house, removed the failing outbuildings, and removed the later kitchen and bath additions.