Dempsey Wood House

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Dempsey Wood House is a historic home near Kinston, North Carolina. Built in the mid-1800s, it shows the shift from Greek Revival to Victorian style and features a two-story porch and eight fireplaces. The property covers about 2.27 acres near Kennedy Home Road.

James Wood began building the house around 1836–1850, and it was mostly finished by the Civil War. The Wood family lived there early on, and Dempsey and James Wood stayed in the house until 1892, when the property was divided and sold to N. J. Rouse. It changed hands several times and was purchased in 1945 by W. C. Emerson, who owned it at least through 1971.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1971.

Architectural details: the house is a two-story wooden frame on brick piers. The front has three bays with a two-tier porch supported by square pillars and pilasters; the second level features a rounded balustrade. The front door has narrow sidelights and a transom. The east and west sides are four bays wide and have large, 17th-century–style chimneys, a rare feature in the state. The windows are mostly original, with six-over-six sashes on the front and rear and four-over-four on the sides. Inside, there’s a central hall plan with a staircase on the right, plaster walls, a wainscot, and decorative moldings around doors and windows.