The Colonial Dames
There are four houses in North Carolina owned by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina. The Burgwin-Wright House in Wilmington, The Fourth House in Old Salem, and The Joel Lane House and Haywood Hall, both located within the Raleigh city limits. The stewardship of all but one of these historic properties is funded entirely by money raised by The Colonial Dames and each of the houses’ membership organizations. The exception is The Fourth House which is currently leased by Old Salem, Inc., for a nominal fee, and which is responsible for the property’s management and upkeep.
The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America web site. https://www.nscda.org/site3/index2.php
Colonial Dame Properties
The Burgwin-Wright Museum House is a Georgian house with a handsome Palladian doorway, double porches on two sides, and authentic Colonial gardens on seven levels.
Built in 1770 for John Burgwin, Treasurer of the Colony of North Carolina, it was purchased in 1937 by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina for their State headquarters.
The house has been carefully restored and a fine collection of 18th- and 19th-century furnishings acquired. The separate kitchen building offers demonstrations of open-hearth cooking and crafts.
This charming property creates a link with the past and is an excellent example of a Colonial gentleman’s town residence.
Telephone:
(910) 762-0570
Open:
Tuesday through Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closed:
December 24 through January 31, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (Thursday through Monday).
Directions:
From I-40, take Exit Highway 17 south (Market Street) to stop light, turn left and stay on Market Street to South Third Street (approximately 3 miles).
The house is located at Third and Market
in the historic downtown area.
http://www.geocities.com/picketfence/garden/4354/
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
ACCREDITED NSCDA MUSEUM PROPERTIES
Joel Lane
JOEL LANE MUSEUM HOUSE
P.O. Box 10884
728 West Hargett Street • Raleigh, NC 27605
Circa 1770 the home of Joel Lane was built on a knoll overlooking the future city of Raleigh. The little house was the center of many historic gatherings; the gracious hospitality within its walls witnessed the birth and growth of the capital of North Carolina. Lane introduced the bill in the Legislature for the creation of Wake County in 1770 and sold 1,000 acres to the State in 1792 for the creation of the capital city of Raleigh; hence he is known as the “Father of Wake County.”
About 1790, Joel Lane remodeled the house, and it is in this form that it is seen today. In 1912, the house was moved approximately one block to its present location. In 1927, the Wake County Committee of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina purchased the house; and restoration was completed in 1976. Many beautiful and appropriate pieces were purchased for the house, some of which are believed to have belonged to Lane or his children. The house is leased to The Joel LaneMuseum House, Inc., a nonprofit corporation.
The grounds include a middle-class dwelling interpreted as a detached kitchen, a formal city garden, and a herb garden designed by Donald S. Parker of Colonial Williamsburg.
Telephone:
(919) 833-3431
(if no answer, leave message and
your call will be returned).
Open:
Wednesday through Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m
Every Saturday: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Tours begin on the hour. Last tour begins one hour before closing. Other times by appointment.
Directions:
From the State Capital,
go west on Hillsborough Street 7 blocks
to St. Mary’s, left on St. Mary’s, 2 blocks to Hargett Street.
The house is on the corner of St. Mary’s and West Hargett.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
RALEIGH HISTORIC SITE
ACCREDITED: NSCDA MUSEUM PROPERTIES
The Fourth House
Completed in 1768, the Fourth House, as the name implies, was the fourth building constructed in the Moravian village in Salem, North Carolina. It has the distinction of being the oldest, original structure still standing in Old Salem restoration area. Purchased in 1936 by the Forsyth Committee of The NSCDA in North Carolina, through the generosity of several members, it was then partially restored and stabilized. In 1963, more funds were raised by Committee members and Old Salem agreed to complete the restoration. Old Salem, Inc., currently leases the property from the Forsyth Committee to a “worthy” tenant for a nominal fee and is responsible for the property’s management and upkeep.
The half-timbered construction typical of the early Moravian dwellings was, according to Records from the Moravian Archives, preferred to log construction as it resulted in a more stable structure. In this process, the timbers were measured and each joint was put into place, a wooden peg was hammered in at a right angle, locking the parts together.” The voids between the timbers were nogged with soft brick and red clay mortar, the result of which can be clearly seen in the accompanying photograph. The steep pitch of the tile roof, ending with a slight “kick” at the eaves, the stone foundation, and lack of ornamentation reflects a central European tradition which the early Moravian settlers would have brought with them from their first settlement in Herrnhut in Eastern Germany, near the Czechoslovakian province of Moravia where they originated.
The Fourth House is one of the few remaining half-timbered houses in this country.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
ACCREDITED: NSCDA MUSEUM PROPERTIES
Haywood Hall
HAYWOOD HALL
MUSEUM HOUSE AND GARDEN
211 New Bern Place •Raleigh, NC 27601
1799This Federal-style frame house was built by State Treasurer John Haywood for his family in 1799. Descendants occupied the house until 1977, when the property and furnishings were left to The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina.
It is the oldest house within the city limits of Raleigh that is on its original site.
The gardens are both lovely and functional. They, as the house, have been the site for numerous weddings, receptions, and other social functions during John Haywood’s time as well as the present.
Telephone:
(919) 832-8357
Open:
March to Mid-December, Thursday:
10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Other times by appointment.
Directions:
From the Capitol, downtown,
follow New Bern Place east for 1 1/2 blocks to the house.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
STATE HISTORIC SITE
RALEIGH HISTORIC SITE
MEMBER FEDERATION OF NORTH CAROLINA
HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, INC
ACCREDITED: NSCDA MUSEUM PROPERTIES
