The owner of the imposing brick house and property at the corner of Waynesville's Main and Walnut Streets is asking the town's governing board to declare it and the house next door to it as historic landmarks.

Local historic designation is being sought by Charles F. McDarris for 28 and 52 Walnut Street.

McDarris grew up in the big two-story home known to old-timers as the Stringfield place.  He is seeking the same historic designation for the large house next to it that many remember as a rest home.

The Cary attorney inherited the properties upon the death of his parents District Court Judge Charles "Mac" McDarris and Ethel Hayes McDarris.

The land underneath the ornate 1922 Dr. Samuel Stringfield house on the corner is as important historically as any in Waynesville.

The town's founder, ...