GREENSBORO, N.C. — Gov. John Motley Morehead was North Carolina’s 29th governor, serving from 1841 to 1845, and is often deemed the “Father of Modern North Carolina” for his work with the public school system, expansion of the railroad and more.

Throughout his time in office, he lived in different locations across the state, although his familial home, Blandwood Mansion, was in Greensboro. 

Blandwood Mansion was constructed by Charles Bland in 1795 and later changed hands to the Morehead family. 

With additions added to the home by the Moreheads, the mansion is believed to be the oldest example of Italian-style architecture in the United States, designed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis, according to the Blandwood Museum’s website.

The home is a national historical landmark and a house museum owned by Preservation Greensboro Inc., the second oldest preservation organization within the Tar Heel State, according to Greensboro Preservation staff. 

After the home left the care of the Moreheads, the mansion turned into the Keely Institute Rehabilitation Center until 1961, according to the musuem’s website. The home was saved from demolition by The Ladies of Glenwood Guild in 1966 and the keys were given to Preservation Greensboro.

Kathryn McDowell is the interim executive director with Preservation Greensboro and Blandwood Mansion. She enjoys overseeing the preserved home and using her trades degree to help examine the original furniture inside. 

Kathryn McDowell demonstrating how old photos let staff recreate the home's decor. (Spectrum News 1/ Sydney McCoy)

“Our historic house museum, which is where we get to geek out about the fun history of things,” McDowell said. 

The museum is able to keep the home as close as the staff can to when Morehead roamed the halls thanks to first-hand accounts from letters written by those who lived there. 

“Letters are how we interpret our spaces. So, like, we know the dining room was in the back of the house because of letters. I also love letters because it tells us more about the individuals. So, we know Eugene, the youngest child, married for love because of the love letters between him and Lucy that were just donated,” McDowell said. 

The letters include information about some of the 37 known slaves who lived on the property, specifically Hannah Jones and Tinnan Morehead, who are currently the only two slaves listed by name in the letters. They even boast about Hannah’s possum pie. 

“It also connects people. Governor Morehead graduated from UNC, is the first president of the UNC Alumni Association. But in the love letters we found out he is best friends with Benjamin Duke, the son of the Duke family that Duke University is named after,” McDowell said. 

The home is also riddled with paintings of residents of the home and hidden meanings, like a sideways broach meaning the subject that was painted is dead. But, they also give a looking glass into more details on the home itself. 

“And then one of the other things that I particularly focus on in this painting is if we look at the dependency buildings that don't have a second story. So, does that mean the second story we have now was a later edition after this painting was done? Does that mean he just forgot that there was a second story when he painted the painting?” McDowell said. 

Newspaper clippings and other historical documents help piece together the ground's past. This includes key details in America’s history such as the exact table where Governor Zebulon Vance signed over North Carolina to the Union. 

The table where Governor Zebulon Vance was said to have signed over North Carolina to the Union. (Spectrum News 1/ Sydney McCoy)

“We like to say we contributed to ending the Civil War here and in this parlor,” McDowell said. 

Staff have been collecting artifacts from the home through donations and sleuths on websites such as eBay. The official Morehead collection now has close to 50 pieces in it. 

“We have a lot of original artifacts to Governor Morehead and his wife. So, like in this room with the really cool windows, we have her writing desk, her artwork, which is embroidery that she did when she was 13. So, we're able to actually physically show a lot of objects, whereas some of the rooms like this bedroom over here, it's just full of items, have a house museum,” McDowell said.

Blandwood’s history unravels as the home whispers its secrets to the staff through chipped paint and fallen panels. Although these changes allow the staff to learn more about the home through scientific tools, such as dendrochronology and the study of dating artifacts through the growth rings in trees. 

Kathryn McDowell showing where paint has chipped off naturally and can now be used for dendrochronology. (Spectrum News 1/ Sydney McCoy)

“There's still a lot of this house that we're trying to figure out. And that's also in play with a dendrochronology is they were able to take samples from the three main sections of the house to hopefully figure out and date each portion,” McDowell said. 

McDowell says the majority of their visitors are from out of state and hopes to have more visitors from North Carolina. 

The authenticity of the mansion is important for not just the home itself, the integrity of the history or guests, but also for those who once lived on the grounds. 

“Oh, they are totally ghosts here. When things change in the house, say, this bed has to go off for restoration, they don't like it. Noises happen. Things seem to move. We had a while where we were doing small little projects in the house. Nothing major, but there was a chair that kept moving. So they don't like change, which is OK, I get that,” McDowell said. 

Preservation Greensboro Incorporated covers all of Guilford County, working with residents of historical homes who aim to learn more about their property, larger projects such as Blandwood Mansion and Revolution Mill and conduct architectural salvage.