Heritage Square (of Fayetteville NC)
Encyclopedia
Heritage Square is a place in Fayetteville
, North Carolina
. Owned and maintained by The Woman's Club of Fayetteville
, Heritage Square includes the Sandford House, built in 1797; the Oval Ballroom, a freestanding single room built in 1818; and the Baker-Haigh-Nimocks House, constructed in 1804. The buildings located on Heritage Square are listed in the National Register of Historic Places
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) architecture. Its interior features eight spacious rooms divided by hallways and ornamented with exquisite mantles, doorways and moldings. The exterior wears trim of a hand carved rope design under the eaves.
, ex-Confederate
Captain John E.P. Daingerfield
(originally from Arkansas) bought the property.
Daingerfield served as a Confederate clerk at the Harpers Ferry arsenal in 1859 during John Brown’s raid. Captain Daingerfield took rank June 10, 1861 and transferred to Fayetteville as munitions and equipment were transferred to the Fayetteville Arsenal
from Harpers Ferry that same year.
Maj. John C. Booth, commanding officer at the Fayetteville Arsenal, appointed him military paymaster and storekeeper, prestigious jobs in the Army. Daingerfield served in the 2nd Battalion Local Defense Troops, commonly referred to as the Arsenal Guard, and occupied the house with his wife Matilda and his four children - one of whom became a celebrated painter of North Carolina.
was born in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and raised in Fayetteville. At age 21 he moved to New York to study art. Elliot was inspired by the European Symbolist movement during his time overseas. His influences included Impressionism and Romanticism in general and the artist Ralph Albert Blakelock. Today, the "Daingerfield Room" occupies the entire South Parlor of the Sandford House.
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"The Oval Ballroom" is the dining area in which Ann served her first husband his (allegedly) arsenic-laced dessert of syllabub and coffee in the presence of two witnesses.
The front entrance features a fan light and the light fixture at the top of the staircase was planned for use in the state capital building if Fayetteville had remained the capital.
The two upstairs rooms feature dormer windows and individual fireplaces.
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
, North Carolina
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...
. Owned and maintained by The Woman's Club of Fayetteville
The Woman's Club of Fayetteville
The Woman's Club of Fayetteville is a charitable society founded in 1906 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The Club is responsible for the first library in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, North Carolina...
, Heritage Square includes the Sandford House, built in 1797; the Oval Ballroom, a freestanding single room built in 1818; and the Baker-Haigh-Nimocks House, constructed in 1804. The buildings located on Heritage Square are listed in 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...
.
Sandford House
The Sandford House, built in 1797, is the showcase home of Heritage Square. The Woman's Club of Fayetteville purchased the home in 1946, and currently maintains and furnishes the Sandford House in keeping with its Antebellum roots. The Sandford House exhibits classic Colonial (GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
) architecture. Its interior features eight spacious rooms divided by hallways and ornamented with exquisite mantles, doorways and moldings. The exterior wears trim of a hand carved rope design under the eaves.
Historical Ownership of the Sandford House
- Mark Russel originally owned the land on which the house stands.
- John McLeran built the home.
- Duncan McLeran purchased the home from John, his kinsman. Duncan McLeran was one of the first elders of the historic Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville.
- In 1804, John Adam purchased the home. Sarah Donaldson Adam, John's wife, also links to the Presbyterian Church because her father donated the land on which the church was built.
- In 1820, under new ownership, the Sandford House was transformed into the first federal bank in North Carolina.
- In 1832, John William Sandford (the current namesake and former Philadelphian) purchased the building and made it a home with Margaret Halliday, his new wife. According to local legend, ShermanWilliam Tecumseh ShermanWilliam Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's troops used the house as barracks during the Union occupation of Fayetteville in March 1865. "The Civil War Trail" runs through the backyard of the Sandford House today. - In 1873, former Confederate Captain John E.P. DaingerfieldJohn E.P. DaingerfieldJohn E.P. Daingerfield served as a clerk at the Harpers Ferry Armory in 1859 during John Brown’s raid. Daingerfield received his rank of captain on June 10, 1861 and transferred to Fayetteville as munitions and equipment were moved to the Fayetteville Arsenal from Harpers Ferry that same year.Maj....
purchased the home. Elliot DaingerfieldElliot DaingerfieldElliot Daingerfield is considered one of North Carolina's most prolific artists. Elliot was born in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. At 21 he moved to New York to study art....
, John's son and renowned North Carolina artist, lived here throughout his teenage years. - Around 1897, A.H. Slocumb (of Massachusetts), husband of Lillian Taylor (a Fayetteville belle) purchased the home. A.H. Slocumb worked in Fayetteville's naval stores with the A.E. Rankin Company.
- Subsequently, W.H. Powell and his family resided in the Sandford House.
- In 1941, The Woman's Club of Fayetteville rented the Sandford House from its previous owner and then purchased the property in 1945.
Captain John E.P. Daingerfield
After the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, ex-Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Captain John E.P. Daingerfield
John E.P. Daingerfield
John E.P. Daingerfield served as a clerk at the Harpers Ferry Armory in 1859 during John Brown’s raid. Daingerfield received his rank of captain on June 10, 1861 and transferred to Fayetteville as munitions and equipment were moved to the Fayetteville Arsenal from Harpers Ferry that same year.Maj....
(originally from Arkansas) bought the property.
Daingerfield served as a Confederate clerk at the Harpers Ferry arsenal in 1859 during John Brown’s raid. Captain Daingerfield took rank June 10, 1861 and transferred to Fayetteville as munitions and equipment were transferred to the Fayetteville Arsenal
Fayetteville arsenal
The Fayetteville Arsenal in Fayetteville, North Carolina was built in 1838 because during the War of 1812 the United States government realized that the existing distribution of weapons and ammunition factories was not adequate for the defense of the country...
from Harpers Ferry that same year.
Maj. John C. Booth, commanding officer at the Fayetteville Arsenal, appointed him military paymaster and storekeeper, prestigious jobs in the Army. Daingerfield served in the 2nd Battalion Local Defense Troops, commonly referred to as the Arsenal Guard, and occupied the house with his wife Matilda and his four children - one of whom became a celebrated painter of North Carolina.
Elliot Daingerfield
Elliot DaingerfieldElliot Daingerfield
Elliot Daingerfield is considered one of North Carolina's most prolific artists. Elliot was born in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. At 21 he moved to New York to study art....
was born in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and raised in Fayetteville. At age 21 he moved to New York to study art. Elliot was inspired by the European Symbolist movement during his time overseas. His influences included Impressionism and Romanticism in general and the artist Ralph Albert Blakelock. Today, the "Daingerfield Room" occupies the entire South Parlor of the Sandford House.
The Woman's Club of Fayetteville
The Woman's Club rented the Sandford House from 1941-1945 to provide a home for unmarried working women flooding into the city during World War II. At one time, 30 young, single women, a housemother and hostess packed the second floor bedrooms which were converted into dormitory style living spaces. The Woman's Club also provided space for any other women's organization to meet in the house free of charge in an effort to accommodate the town's growing need for social outlets.The Oval Ballroom
The Oval Ballroom is now a freestanding room with octagonal architecture outside and a large (20'x30') oval interior highlighted by plaster cornices and pilasters. Originally, the ballroom was an add-on to the Halliday-Williams House in Fayetteville, NC; the Halliday-Williams House was demolished in the mid 1950s. The Oval Ballroom is an example of Regency architectureRegency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
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Historical Ownership of the Oval Ballroom
- Robert Halliday, an immigrant from Galloway, Scotland, built the house to which the ballroom was later attached in 1808. He lived there with his wife, Catherine (Kitty) McQueen Halliday, and their family until he died in 1816.
- Catherine married Judge John Cameron after Robert Halliday's death. The Cameron family erected two similar octagonal wings onto the home. The room on the north side of the house was built specifically for the reception and ball following the 1830 wedding of Margaret, Robert's daughter, to John Sandford. This room eventually became "The Oval Ballroom."
- In 1847, The Camerons began renting the house. One notable character, Mrs. Ann K. Simpson, occupied the home during its rental period.
- In 1870, John D. Williams purchased the house for his son, Captain Arthur Butler Williams.
- Sometime prior to 1930, Fanny Williams, Captain Butler's daughter, inherited the home. She transformed the house into The Colonial Inn which became a popular tourist stop in the 1930s.
- Mrs. M.B. McLean, Fanny's niece, inherited the home. She donated the Colonial Inn's "dining room" (previously the Cameron's "north room") to The Woman's Club of FayettevilleThe Woman's Club of FayettevilleThe Woman's Club of Fayetteville is a charitable society founded in 1906 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The Club is responsible for the first library in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, North Carolina...
. - In the mid 1950s, The Woman's Club of Fayetteville renamed the now freestanding room as "The Oval Ballroom" and moved it to its current location on Heritage Square.
Mrs. Ann K. Simpson
Ann K. Simpson, accused of murdering her husband, was the first woman tried for murder in Cumberland County, North Carolina. She was found not guilty in this trial. However, Ann was found guilty and executed when she stood trial for murdering her third husband while living in Michigan. During the Michigan trial, the early, untimely death of her second husband was also called into question."The Oval Ballroom" is the dining area in which Ann served her first husband his (allegedly) arsenic-laced dessert of syllabub and coffee in the presence of two witnesses.
Fanny "Fan" Williams
Fan Williams operated The Colonial Inn, known for its southern cuisine and hospitality.Nimocks House
Exterior
The Baker-Haigh-Nimocks House, built in 1804, is an example of Georgian architecture, perfectly balanced and symmetrical inside and out. The Nimocks House exhibits a proportional, classical, and "regular" style. "Regular" styles are defined by mathematical ratios (such as the golden mean) that are used to determine every measurement from the floor layout to the width to height ratio of the windows. Georgian Style homes were typically painted red, tan, and/or white if not constructed from brick or stone.Interior
New England ship builders often wintered in the south during this time period. Their unique building style probably explains the unusual barrel staircase design in the Nimocks House. In addition, the hand carved cornices, wainscoting, mantels, and hand-punched gouge work are beautifully detailed and typical of the period.The front entrance features a fan light and the light fixture at the top of the staircase was planned for use in the state capital building if Fayetteville had remained the capital.
The two upstairs rooms feature dormer windows and individual fireplaces.