The Interior of the House in the Horseshoe

Step back in time, as you enter the Piedmont North Carolina farmhouse built around 1770. The architectural style of the Alston House looks more like that of the coastal plains, and the two-story dwelling is a typical eighteenth-century plantation house. It has the gabled roof with large double-shouldered Flemish bond chimneys. The front and back boasts a shed porch.

When Governor Benjamin Williams bought the 2,500 acre plantation as a retreat in 1798, he enlarged the house by adding the two wings, which held a kitchen and the master bedroom. He wanted to become a gentleman farmer and raise cotton, a profitable crop since Eli Whitney had invented the cotton gin to easily extract the tenacious seeds.

The interior woodwork is full of detail, including the doorways, mantels, and wall panels. There are two bedrooms upstairs, plus the master bedroom downstairs. The house is furnished with period Federal-style pieces. It appeals to all of us who love early Americana. (For more on the house, see June 5 blog.)

The State Historic Site is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m - 4 p.m.
288 Alston House Road, Sanford, NC
910-947-2051

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