BOONE, N.C. — Butch Freeman said years ago he looked up his family history and found that his ancestors lived in North Carolina. He said he felt driven to return.

What You Need To Know

  • An Alleghany County man is working to save a 144-year-old post office

  • The post office is on his property, but he needs help

  • He is looking into getting it on the National Registry of Historic Places

He retired from the Air Force in the '70s and then worked in electronics and as a plumber. He and his wife bought more than 100 acres in Alleghany County 15 years ago.

"This was a community. It's called Delphia," Freeman said.

The Delphia post office operated for 14 years in the 1880s. Inside, you can now find items he's collected from old farms and nearby homes.

"You need to remember history or you will fail,” he said.

The porch is disconnecting, and the wood is rotting. He says it deserves to last.

Freeman says he is looking into trying to get it on the National Registry of Historic Places.

The registry confirmed it has already surveyed the post office and said the next step is getting it on the study list and then a written nomination.

It's history Freeman feels is important to share.

"Independence was the main highway between Sparta and Independence so you can imagine all the horse-drawn carriages and wagons that went up and down this road," Freeman said.

He is hoping someone will help him take care of it. He says the porch needs to be reattached and the side painted.