Friends Support Nancy jones house

The Nancy jones House (9391 Chapel hill road, Cary)

The Nancy Jones House is one of four Cary properties individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This distinction is granted to properties that have a unique historic and architectural character and are deemed worthy of preservation for their significance to the cultural heritage of the nation. This honor was bestowed on the Nancy Jones House in 1984. Learn more about Cary's National Register Properties here.

What makes the Nancy jones house worthy of National Register status?

The National Register Nomination for the Nancy Jones House identifies three areas of the property’s historic significance:  architecture, communications and politics (folklore). The relevant historic period is 1800-1899.

Architectural Significance:  A fine example of vernacular Federal architecture, the Nancy Jones House, built around 1803, is also the oldest remaining house in the Cary area.

Communications:  The National Register Nomination does not offer any explicit discussion regarding the role of The Nancy Jones house in communications. However, with the house being the primary stagecoach stop and tavern on the Raleigh-Chapel Hill route during the antebellum period, it would be reasonable to conclude that it served as a gathering place where information and ideas were shared.

Politics (Folklore):  The stagecoach stop and tavern was visited by a number of political dignitaries, including President James K. Polk, the eleventh U.S. president, as well as former North Carolina governors John Branch, John Motley Morehead and William Alexander Graham. The National Register Nomination states, “It seems likely that, on one occasion or another, practically all of the state’s governors in the mid-nineteenth century stopped at the Jones House.”

Perhaps the greatest claim to fame for the Nancy Jones House comes from a popular legend that is not without controversy.  The legend holds that in 1838, the governors of North Carolina and South Carolina met at the tavern. After quickly consuming their first servings of apple and peach brandy, they waited for their second round to be served. During that time, North Carolina’s Governor Edward Dudley was heard to say, “It’s been a damn long time between drinks!” We can only imagine how mortified proprietor Nancy Jones must have been!

Now, for the controversy. The famous quote has also been attributed to several different politicians at a number of other locations, including the home of a prominent banker in Columbia, South Carolina; a banquet in Raleigh; and the “Old White” hotel, predecessor to the Greenbrier resort, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The controversy and various versions are set out in a 1938 article in the Cambridge Sentinel of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Learn more about the history of the Nancy Jones House here.

What has been done to ensure preservation of the Nancy jones house?

The Friends of the Page-Walker have monitored the status of the Nancy Jones House for many years and have placed it high on our list of preservation priorities.

In 2005, the FOPW Historic Preservation Committee began developing a plan for the preservation of the house. Committee members Bob Myers and Julie Robison were given a tour of the grounds and the interior. The committee worked to build public awareness of this cherished treasure, including it in the annual slideshow inventory presented by the Friends, “What Have We Got to Lose?” Contacts with Town staff and elected officials were maintained, with emphasis on preserving the structure for future generations.

Our level of concern heightened when the property was purchased in 2016 by the neighboring Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina as part of their expansion plan; it became unlikely that the house would be allowed to remain on its original site.

May 3, 2019 - The Town of Cary announced that it had reached agreement to purchase the house from the Sri Venkateswara Temple, whose leaders had a strong desire that the house be preserved. We were relieved that the house would be saved, but unfortunately, the sale was conditioned on the house being moved to a new location.

October 18, 2019 - The purchase was finalized.

In the May 3rd announcement, Town Manager Sean Stegall said, “I think of the Nancy Jones house as a 216-year-old patient on the operating table who doctors are trying to save from dying. That’s what the agreement between the Temple and the Town accomplishes, and now we can take the time we need to work with our citizens on the next chapter Nancy Jones will play in our history.”

Since acquiring the Nancy Jones House, the Town has worked to preserve the “216-year-old patient,” taking the following steps:

• Consulted with the State Historic Preservation Office on best practices for maintaining the house until it is moved
• Installed locks on the back door and removed historic hardware from the front door for safe keeping
• Hired ThoughtCraft Architects to assess the house and provide recommendations to prevent deterioration
• Strategically installed louvers in specific windows to improve air circulation and decrease interior moisture
• Installed a vapor barrier underneath the house
• Altered the electric panel to provide electricity to the sump pump under the house so it can run on a continuous basis
• Taken photographs for baseline comparisons
• Labeled and stored historic elements that have been removed (e.g. window panes and sashes that were removed for installation of the louvers)
• Discovered bees inside a wall cavity on the second floor; called in an expert to remove the bees.
• Non-historic additions have been removed, to better preserve the house’s historic integrity
• A new foundation and footings helped to correct the large chimneys; prior to the move, the chimneys were detached and separated from the house, following the relocation they are now plumb
• Brick shouldering has been added to the base of the chimneys to further ensure their stability; this was reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
• Brick from the original foundation was salvaged and reused to clad the new concrete foundation
• The crawlspace has been made larger and includes a moisture barrier
• Louvers have been strategically installed in specific windows to improve air circulation and decrease interior moisture
• The front porch has been recreated to better reflect an appropriate historic style, including replacing the previous concrete slab with wood tongue and groove flooring
• Interior fireplaces have been stabilized and hearths have been restored

In an effort to keep the Nancy Jones House listed in the National Register during and after the move, the Town submitted a relocation report to the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The report was presented by SHPO to the National Register Advisory Committee (NRAC) in October. After their approval, the report was forwarded to the National Park Service for final decision.

October 8, 2020 - The National Register Advisory Committee reviewed the town’s request for the Nancy Jones House to remain listed in the National Register of Historic Places during its relocation. The proposed new location is near the intersection of Chapel Hill Road and NW Maynard Road. The request was unanimously approved. The Committee’s recommendation was forwarded to the National Parks Service for a final decision.

November 27, 2020 - The National Park Service approved the proposed move, saying, “The Nancy Jones House will remain listed in the National Register during the move. Final approval of continued listing of the house on its new site will be issued after the move.” Read the full text of the letter from the National Park Service here.

March 20, 2021 - The Nancy Jones House was moved from its original site to a new site on Town property, just 500 feet away. The painstakingly careful move took nearly five hours, bringing the oldest house in Cary to Chapel Hill Road, then down the street and over to its new location. The town has produced a beautiful, informative, 14-minute video about moving this historic treasure

to its new home. 

May 2022 - Cary received final confirmation that the Nancy Jones House would remain listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In early 2022, Cary's Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) initiated the process to recommend the Nancy Jones House be designated as a Local Historic Landmark. This process included having two HPC members visit the house, assess the house for historic integrity, and report back to the HPC. Following this assessment, a consultant was hired to complete the nomination report. In August 2022, the nomination report was forwarded to SHPO for their comment.

June 2023 - Council unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance designating the Nancy Jones House a local historic landmark.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE NANCY JONES HOUSE?

In July 2024, the Council approved a budget that removed the $2.5 million allocated for historic preservation in 2024-25, most of which was to be used to restore the Nancy Jones House, citing concern for such a large financial commitment being recommended on the heels of the recent expenditures on the Ivey-Ellington House project.  The Friends immediately proclaimed the following resolution at the Public Speaks Out section of the Town Council meeting on July 25:

WHEREAS the Nancy Jones House is the oldest known residential structure in Cary; and

WHEREAS the Nancy Jones House has been designated a Town of Cary local historic
landmark, the most significant local designation for historic properties; and

WHEREAS the Nancy Jones House is individually listed on the National Register of Historic
Places; and

WHEREAS the Town of Cary acquired the Nancy Jones House in 2019; and

WHEREAS the Town of Cary relocated the Nancy Jones House in 2021 to ensure its
preservation; and

WHEREAS the relocation site for the Nancy Jones House was chosen to ensure that its listing
on the National Register of Historic Places would be maintained, as well as the house's historic
connection as an important 19th-century stagecoach stop along Chapel Hill Road; and

WHEREAS the Town of Cary received final confirmation in 2022 that the Nancy Jones House
would maintain its National Register of Historic Places designation at the relocated site; and

WHEREAS the Nancy Jones House has seen many improvements at the relocation site,
including a new foundation and footings, brick shouldering to stabilize the chimneys, a larger
crawlspace with a moisture barrier, louvers to improve air circulation and decrease interior
moisture, a recreated front porch to reflect an appropriate historic style, and restoration of
interior fireplaces and hearths; and

WHEREAS the Friends of the Page-Walker believe that the Nancy Jones House could serve
one or more of numerous possible uses to benefit the Cary community and enhance the public
good; and

WHEREAS moving the Nancy Jones House to another site could jeopardize its National
Register of Historic Places designation, risk damage to the structure resulting from a second
move, require a Certificate of Appropriateness to be issued by the Historic Preservation
Commission, negate some of the improvements that have already been made to the house, and
delay the time at which the house could begin to benefit the Cary community and enhance the
public good;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Friends of the Page-Walker resolve and
proclaim that the Nancy Jones House should remain at its current location, that one or
more appropriate uses for the Nancy Jones House to benefit the Cary community and enhance
the public good be established, and that restoration and renovation work on the Nancy
Jones House to facilitate such use(s) be fully funded and commence without delay.

The Town Council accepted in August 2024 the resolution and proclamation from the Friends of the Page-Walker and the Historic Preservation Commission that the Nancy Jones House should remain at its current location.  A Uses committee has been established by the Historic Preservation Committee to determine an appropriate use for the house at that location.  This step must be completed before consideration of reallocation of funds to restore and renovate the Nancy Jones House can take place.  In addition, a plan for the restoration and renovation must be developed.

Project updates on the rehabilitation of the Nancy Jones House are provided by the town here.  Currently, the project-updates timeline on the town's website states:  Winter 2024: Begin Scoping Rehabilitation Work - IN PROGRESS

Determining a USE for the Nancy Jones House

Representatives from the Friends of the Page-Walker are serving as research partners on the Nancy Jones House Uses Committee of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC).  The committee, comprising members of the HPC and partners from the Friends and Town staff, is meeting on a regular basis (twice a month) to determine appropriate uses for the house based on its location, interior size, and parking limitations.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

If you care about the preservation and restoration of the Nancy Jones House, please write to your Town Council representative to let them know.  If you don't know who your representative is, you can find out here.

Share your thoughts with us at info@friendsofpagewalker.org.

SOURCES:  

• National Register of Historic Places
• Town of Cary, National Register Properties in Cary
• National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for the Nancy Jones House
• Ask the Architect .Org
• Cambridge Sentinel, June 4, 1938
• The Innkeeper, Spring 2005
• North Carolina General Warranty Deed, recorded on December 9, 2016, conveying Tracts 1 and 2, BM 1991, Page 1041, from April W. Gillespie and husband, David F. Gillespie, to Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina
• Cary Acquires Oldest Remaining Home – 1803 Nancy Jones House – for Preservation, Rehabilitation, Town of Cary News Release, posted on May 30, 2019
• Ms. Gillian White, Historic Preservation Planner, Town of Cary
• Cary Town Council Agenda, May 7, 2020, Staff Report, 17-REZ-27 Bainbridge Cary Chapel Hill Road
• Town Council Approves 5 Rezonings, Cary Citizen, May 8, 2020