Blandwood Mansion and Gardens
Encyclopedia
Blandwood Mansion, originally built as a four room Federal style farmhouse in 1795, is the restored home of two-term North Carolina
governor John Motley Morehead
(1841-1844) in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina
.
Governor Morehead lived in the house from 1827 until his death in 1866. As a political leader, Morehead hosted numerous intellectuals of the day including social activist Dorothea Dix
and architect Alexander Jackson Davis
. During the Civil War, the house served as quarters for Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard
, and after the fall of the Confederacy the house was temporary headquarters for Union Generals Jacob Dolson Cox
and John Schofield
. North Carolina Governor Zebulon B. Vance surrendered himself to Cox and Schofield in the main parlor of Blandwood on May 2, 1865.
Blandwood had two additions. The first in 1822 expanded the farmhouse from four to six rooms with Federal architecture
period details. The second addition was extensive and designed in 1844 by New York
architect Alexander Jackson Davis
. This addition more than doubled the square footage of the house within a "Tuscan Villa" style wing. The Davis addition makes Blandwood the oldest standing example of Tuscan Villa (a subtype of Italianate architecture
in the United States. Construction was executed by William and Joseph Conrad, building contractors from nearby Lexington, North Carolina
The grounds of Blandwood were influenced by landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing
, who used an illustration of Blandwood in his publications to depict appropriate landscaping.
After Governor Morehead's death, the house was occupied by his eldest son Eugene until 1874. Eugene's sister and brother-in-law, Emma and Julius Gray, were the next occupants of the house. The couple resided in Blandwood with their six children. Julius Gray was a civic-minded businessman, banker, and founder of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. All members of the family died in the last decade of the nineteenth century except for the children of the eldest Gray daughter. The last members of the Morehead family to live in Blandwood left the house in 1900.
Blandwood and its surrounding property were sold to Colonel and Mrs. William H. Osborne in 1907 for use as a local franchise of the Keeley Institute
. The original dependencies were destroyed and additions erected around the property. The property use as a sanitarium continued until it closed in 1961 at which time historians were beginning to understand the importance of nineteenth century architecture and the significance of works by Alexander Jackson Davis.
designed the building to resemble villas of Tuscany
(though he never visited Italy) using wide overhanging eaves, low rooflines, casement window
s, stucco-on-brick veneer, and most notably the tall prospect tower which dominated the facade. Davis adaptively reused the existing free-standing kitchen by expanding its size and matching it with a nearly identical building on the other side of the house, creating freestanding hyphen wings with arcades. The building is also a rare example of grand antebellum architecture in the Piedmont section of North Carolina - a territory characterized by small farms and a relatively small enslaved population.
The building was purchased reserved by Preservation Greensboro Incorporated, a citywide non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation in 1966 as a museum. The nonprofit initiated a program of restoration, including paint analysis, archaeological investigation, a furnishings plan, reconstruction of dependencies, and restoration of surrounding gardens. Many items original to the house were returned by members of the Morehead family in the 1960s and 1970s. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970, and recognized as a National Historic Landmark
in 1988.
The house is recognized by architectural historians as the "Embodiment of the antebellum 'spirit of improvement,'" in North Carolina, and the "most important building in Greensboro."
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
governor John Motley Morehead
John Motley Morehead
John Motley Morehead was the 29th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1841 to 1845. He is known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina."...
(1841-1844) in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
.
History
Initially constructed as a two-story, four-room frame farmhouse in 1795, Blandwood was named for its builder Charles Bland. The property was purchased by industrialist Henry Humphries in 1822 for $50. Humphries founded the Mt. Hecla Cotton Mill in 1818, which was reconstituted in 1826 as the first steam-powered cotton mill in North Carolina.Governor Morehead lived in the house from 1827 until his death in 1866. As a political leader, Morehead hosted numerous intellectuals of the day including social activist Dorothea Dix
Dorothea Dix
Dorothea Lynde Dix was an American activist on behalf of the indigent insane who, through a vigorous program of lobbying state legislatures and the United States Congress, created the first generation of American mental asylums...
and architect Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....
. During the Civil War, the house served as quarters for Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard
P. G. T. Beauregard
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born American military officer, politician, inventor, writer, civil servant, and the first prominent general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Today he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used...
, and after the fall of the Confederacy the house was temporary headquarters for Union Generals Jacob Dolson Cox
Jacob Dolson Cox
Jacob Dolson Cox, was a lawyer, a Union Army general during the American Civil War, and later a Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 28th Governor of Ohio and as United States Secretary of the Interior....
and John Schofield
John Schofield
John McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and Commanding General of the United States Army.-Early life:...
. North Carolina Governor Zebulon B. Vance surrendered himself to Cox and Schofield in the main parlor of Blandwood on May 2, 1865.
Blandwood had two additions. The first in 1822 expanded the farmhouse from four to six rooms with Federal architecture
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
period details. The second addition was extensive and designed in 1844 by New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
architect Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....
. This addition more than doubled the square footage of the house within a "Tuscan Villa" style wing. The Davis addition makes Blandwood the oldest standing example of Tuscan Villa (a subtype of Italianate architecture
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
in the United States. Construction was executed by William and Joseph Conrad, building contractors from nearby Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,953. It is located in central North Carolina, twenty miles south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 52 ...
The grounds of Blandwood were influenced by landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing was an American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival style in the United States, and editor of The Horticulturist magazine...
, who used an illustration of Blandwood in his publications to depict appropriate landscaping.
After Governor Morehead's death, the house was occupied by his eldest son Eugene until 1874. Eugene's sister and brother-in-law, Emma and Julius Gray, were the next occupants of the house. The couple resided in Blandwood with their six children. Julius Gray was a civic-minded businessman, banker, and founder of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. All members of the family died in the last decade of the nineteenth century except for the children of the eldest Gray daughter. The last members of the Morehead family to live in Blandwood left the house in 1900.
Blandwood and its surrounding property were sold to Colonel and Mrs. William H. Osborne in 1907 for use as a local franchise of the Keeley Institute
Keeley Institute
The Keeley Institute, known for its Keeley Cure, was a commercial medical operation that offered treatment to alcoholics from 1879 to 1965. Though at one time there were more than 200 branches in the United States and Europe, the original institute was founded by Leslie Keeley in Dwight, Illinois,...
. The original dependencies were destroyed and additions erected around the property. The property use as a sanitarium continued until it closed in 1961 at which time historians were beginning to understand the importance of nineteenth century architecture and the significance of works by Alexander Jackson Davis.
Significance
Blandwood is the oldest building on original foundations in the city of Greensboro (1795). Originally located within a rural context, it is a remarkable survivor of urban development as the city grew around the house. Its primary national significance is its role as the earliest identified Tuscan Villa in the United States (1844). Architect A. J. DavisAlexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....
designed the building to resemble villas of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
(though he never visited Italy) using wide overhanging eaves, low rooflines, casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s, stucco-on-brick veneer, and most notably the tall prospect tower which dominated the facade. Davis adaptively reused the existing free-standing kitchen by expanding its size and matching it with a nearly identical building on the other side of the house, creating freestanding hyphen wings with arcades. The building is also a rare example of grand antebellum architecture in the Piedmont section of North Carolina - a territory characterized by small farms and a relatively small enslaved population.
The building was purchased reserved by Preservation Greensboro Incorporated, a citywide non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation in 1966 as a museum. The nonprofit initiated a program of restoration, including paint analysis, archaeological investigation, a furnishings plan, reconstruction of dependencies, and restoration of surrounding gardens. Many items original to the house were returned by members of the Morehead family in the 1960s and 1970s. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1970, and recognized as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1988.
The house is recognized by architectural historians as the "Embodiment of the antebellum 'spirit of improvement,'" in North Carolina, and the "most important building in Greensboro."