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| Name | Blandwood |
| Brief Description | National Historic Landmark-House Museum |
| Type | Attraction |
| Category | Greensboro North Carolina Historic Site |
| Description | Blandwood's story begins in 1795, predating the founding of the city of Greensboro, North Carolina, (1808,) when Charles Bland built a simple four-room, two-down, two-up Federal style clapboard farmhouse on a wooded hill in Guilford County. The two rooms on the first floor were laid out in the front parlor and hall model; he would call his home Blandwood.
The farmhouse was eventually expanded from four rooms to six rooms in 1822 by a subsequent owner, Henry Humphreys, a local businessman who opened the first steam powered textile mill in North Carolina, Mt. Hecla Cotton Mill. Humphreys would also use this opportunity to update the interior of the house, adding more ornate mouldings and mantels.
John Motley Morehead (1796-1866) purchased Blandwood in 1827 from Humphreys. Morehead had begun an illustrious political career in 1821 at the age of 25, when he was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons. His career culminated with his election to the state’s highest office, Governor, in 1840, when he served two two-year terms as North Carolina's governor from 1841-1845. As a Whig, he supported an ambitious program of internal improvements including a statewide rail and water transportation system, free public schools, more humane treatment of deaf and blind children, prisoners, and the mentally ill. These policies were very progressive for the Old North State, earning him the nickname, "Father of Modern North Carolina."
During this time, the Morehead family, which consisted of his wife, Ann Eliza Lindsey Morehead and their eight children, continued to live in the six room farmhouse that was Blandwood. Upon election to the governorship, Morehead felt the time was right to expand and glorify his home. In 1844, Morehead chose an architect he was familiar with, Alexander Jackson Davis, co-designer of the NC State Capital, to design a substantial addition to the farmhouse. This addition, completed in 1846, was built in the Italianate style and is the oldest surviving example in the United States.
Governor and Mrs. Morehead would live at Blandwood until their respective deaths in 1866 and 1868. At that time their youngest son, Eugene Morehead, was unmarried and living at home, subsequently, part of his inheritance was Blandwood. After living at Blandwood for a few years, Eugene married in 1874 and moved to Savannah, Georgia.
The last members of the Morehead family to live at Blandwood were Julius and Emma Morehead Gray who purchased the home from her brother. The Gray's lived at Blandwood until 1896, by which time, most of the family had passed away during a tuberculosis epidemic.
In 1896, Emma Gray’s remaining brothers and sisters were faced with the dilemma of what to do with Blandwood. They were approached by Col. William Osbourne, who wanted to rent Blandwood for use as a Keeley Institute, a franchise of hospitals to treat alcohol and drug addiction with the infamous “Gold Cure.” Initially renting Blandwood, the Keeley Institute would purchase Blandwood in January of 1906, while they maintained the architecture of the Davis addition to the main building, the two dependences were removed. The Keeley Institute operated at Blandwood until 1961.
By 1966, Blandwood stood empty and in danger of demolition. At this time Preservation Greensboro Incorporated formed to save and restore Blandwood. The restoration of the main building took ten years and Blandwood was opened to the public in 1976 as part of the country's bicentennial celebration. In 1984, after archaeological investigation of the property, the two dependencies, the law office and kitchen, were reconstructed. These efforts were recognized in 1970 when Blandwood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and again in 1988 when it was listed as a National |
| Address | 447 West Washington Street |
| CSZ | Greensboro, NC 27401 |
| Cost | $8-Adults, $7-Seniors/AAA, $5-Children 12 and unde |
| Hours | Tues-Sat, 11am-4pm, Sun 2-5pm |
| Website | www.blandwood.org |
| Additional Information | Additional Information |
| Information Request | Request Greensboro North Carolina Visitor Information |
| Last Updated | 9/16/2009 |
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