Located in Greensboro, NC, Blandwood Mansion is a historic house museum with a focus on the American South. It was originally constructed in 1795 as a four-room Federal style farmhouse, and it served as the residence of North Carolina governor John Motley Morehead, during whose ownership it was renovated into its current appearance.
This architectural landmark, believed to be the oldest surviving example of the Italian Villa Style in the United States, was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1988 and is now a National Historic Landmark.
Architect Alexander Jackson Davis created a popular blueprint for Italianate-style American house designs when he designed Blandwood, with a central tower jutting from the main front of the building. The house was saved from demolition in 1964 by a group of preservation-minded Greensboro residents. It was converted into a museum in 1976 and is still open to the public today.
Blandwood was originally built as a two-story, four-room frame farmhouse in 1795, and it is believed to have gotten its name from its first inhabitant and builder, Charles Bland. It wasn’t until 1800 that Bland and his wife Catherine were able to farm the surrounding 100 acres, when the property was sold to Joseph Thornburg for the benefit of his son Joseph Thornburg, Jr.
Industrialist Henry Humphries purchased the land for $50 in 1822, and he was the first owner. Founded in 1818 by Humphries, the Mt. Hecla Cotton Mill was later reconstructed in 1826 and became the first steam-powered cotton mill in the state of North Carolina.
From 1827 until his death in 1866, Governor Morehead resided in the home on the property. Because of his position as a political leader, Morehead was able to welcome prominent intellectuals of the day, including social activist Dorothea Dix and architect Alexander Jackson Davis.
During the Civil War, the mansion was used as a headquarters for Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard and his staff. Immediately following the defeat of the Confederacy, the mansion served as a temporary headquarters for Union Generals Jacob Dolson Cox and John Schofield. On May 2, 1865, Governor Zebulon B. Vance of North Carolina presented himself to Cox and Schofield in the main parlor of Blandwood, where he had been held captive.
When Colonel and Mrs. William H. Osborne purchased Blandwood and its surrounding property in 1907, they intended to use it to establish a local franchise of the Keeley Institute. The original outbuildings were demolished, and new structures were constructed around the land.
After that, the site was used as an alcoholic treatment clinic until it was closed in 1961. When Alexander Jackson Davis’ work was discovered, historians began to recognize the relevance of nineteenth-century architecture, as well as the value of works by other architects of the time. Guilford College was the driving force behind preservation efforts, which were accelerated after Preservation Greensboro Incorporated was created in 1966.